Home Gideon Scanlon

How institutional investors can advance Indigenous economic reconciliation

Canada’s institutional investors have reached an inflection point on Indigenous economic reconciliation, says Joseph Bastien, project manager of the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative. “There’s a greater awareness and acceptance among institutional investors that considering these issues as an opportunity and a responsibility is important. . . . Now, we’re no longer telling them about […]

  • September 29, 2022 September 28, 2022
  • 12:00

How the CMPA looks at investments through a total portfolio lens

In the vast majority of Canadian medical malpractice lawsuits, doctors’ legal defences and patients’ settlements are paid by the Canadian Medical Protective Association, an organization representing more than 105,000 physicians. “It’s a non-profit mutual defence organization, not an insurer. From an investment perspective, this allows more flexibility as the asset mix is not determined by […]

  • September 16, 2022 September 20, 2022
  • 08:54

CPPIB backing of grain exporter provides Russia propaganda victory: expert

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s investment in a grain exporter may be used as a propaganda tool by the Russian government, according to J. Paul Goode, McMillan chair in Russian studies at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University. “If a company as important as Viterra is to the Canada […]

  • August 23, 2022 August 23, 2022
  • 13:30

A look at the Calgary Foundation’s creative approach to impact investing

In 2016, the Calgary Foundation launched an impact investment program — one that required as much creativity as financial acumen to design. Perhaps that’s why the job fell to Lauren Frosst, director of investments at the endowment fund, which provided $66.9 million in funding to 1,100 charitable organizations last year. Beyond her experience designing a […]

  • August 12, 2022 September 12, 2022
  • 08:40

UPP climate action plan establishes 2040 net-zero portfolio target

The University Pension Plan is rolling out a new climate strategy that aims to make its portfolio carbon neutral by 2040. “I’m proud that we’ve set an ambition consistent with the challenge we face,” says Brian Minns (pictured), managing director of responsible investing at the UPP. “We’re going to deliver on our investment returns in […]

  • July 26, 2022 July 25, 2022
  • 09:00

Canadian DB pension plan assets declined 5.4 per cent in June: report

The value of a typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan’s assets declined in June, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. An investment portfolio designed to mimic typical Canadian DB portfolios saw its assets decline by 5.4 per cent over the month. The benchmark portfolio is composed of 50 per cent equities and 50 per […]

  • July 14, 2022 July 14, 2022
  • 13:15

Provident10 revamping IT governance strategy in response to cybersecurity risks

The administrator of the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Service Pension Plan is planning a revamp of its information technology governance processes to mitigate cybersecurity risks. “The organization understands the importance of technology in enabling modernization of pension administration service delivery,” wrote Provident10 in the PSPP’s 2021 annual report. “Modernization will advance member and stakeholder experiences, as […]

  • July 7, 2022 July 7, 2022
  • 13:36

Nova Scotia’s PSSP returns 5.56% for fiscal year

The Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan generated net returns of 5.56 per cent during its latest fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2022. According to its annual report, the PSSP, a defined benefit pension plan for 41,000 current and former public sector employees in Nova Scotia, saw the value of its assets rise […]

  • June 30, 2022 June 30, 2022
  • 12:00

How SEIU Healthcare is making retirement planning accessible for members

A quarter of single seniors live below the poverty line in Canada and the problem is getting worse, with employer-sponsored pension plans not accessible to 40 per cent of low-income employees. It’s especially severe among personal support workers, 80 per cent of whom don’t have a workplace pension. The situation is beyond unconscionable, says Tyler […]

  • June 24, 2022 August 16, 2022
  • 08:54

SDG washing in corporate reports could deceive would-be investors: article

References to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals in corporate reports may be used to deceive the general public and would-be impact investors, according a scholarly review published in Nature. “This impact [of the SDGs] has been largely discursive, affecting the way actors understand and communicate about sustainable development,” wrote the authors, a group of […]

  • June 23, 2022 June 23, 2022
  • 14:00