responsible investing – Benefits Canada.com

UTAM committing to fully divesting from fossil fuels by 2030

mdunne — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 13:00:18 +0000

The University of Toronto is the latest institution committing to the divestment movement, saying Wednesday it will sell off all fossil fuel investments in its $4 billion endowment fund by the end of 2030 to help fight climate change. The commitment by its investment manager, the University of Toronto Asset Management Corp., includes divesting from all direct investments […]

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UPP naming CIO, senior managing director of private markets

Gideon Scanlon — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:30:08 +0000

The University Pension Plan is appointing Aaron Bennett (pictured left) as its first chief investment officer. In his new role, Bennett will be responsible for establishing an innovative, risk-optimized investment strategy designed to offer retirement security to plan members and promote responsible investing, according to a press release. Read: UPP naming Christophe L’Ahelec director of external manager program […]

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More standards required for pension funds using ESG data, indices and scores

mdunne — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 12:54:48 +0000

Michel Charron has had a front-row seat for the revolution in the Canadian investment industry’s approach to environmental, social and governance issues. Following the foundation of the United Nation’s principles for responsible investment in 2008, his firm, PBI Actuarial Consultants Inc., immediately signed up. But the concept required explanation for some pension plan sponsors, he […]

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Institutional investors signed onto PRI outperformed non-signatories over five years: report

lbailey — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:00:41 +0000

Institutional investors that are signed onto the United Nations’ principles for responsible investment had a higher five-year average net return compared to non-signatories, according to a report by CEM Benchmarking Inc. The benchmarking consultancy, which studied the net returns of 42 signatories participating in its database for five consecutive years ending in 2018, found that […]

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UPP appointing first managing director of responsible investing

Gideon Scanlon — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 13:15:32 +0000

The University Pension Plan has appointed Brian Minns as its first managing director of responsible investing. Prior to joining the UPP, Minns spent 10 years working for Addenda Capital Inc, culminating a three-year tenure as its vice-president of sustainable investing. In that role, he was responsible for impact investing and the implementation of environmental, social and […]

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Caisse, UPP employees receiving recognition for net-zero contributions

bwolfe — Fri, 07 May 2021 19:00:11 +0000

Employees at two Canadian pension plans are being recognized for their responsible investment achievements. The British High Commission and the Canada Climate Law Initiative named Barbara Zvan, inaugural president and chief executive officer of the University Pension Plan, and Kim Thomassin, executive vice-president and head of investments in Quebec and stewardship investing at the Caisse […]

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Imperial Oil shareholders defeat Bâtirente’s net-zero emissions motion

mdunne — Wed, 05 May 2021 19:00:22 +0000

The majority (86 per cent) of Imperial Oil Ltd. investors voted to defeat a shareholder resolution that the organization adopt a target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, the vote held during the Calgary-based company’s virtual annual meeting exposes a rift between its parent U.S. giant Exxon Mobil Corp. — which owns 69.6 […]

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Funding status down, alternative investments up among DB pension plans: survey

bwolfe — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 05:00:53 +0000

The funding status and confidence of Canadian defined benefit pension plans declined in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic and a low interest-rate environment, according to a new survey from RBC Investor & Treasury Services. It found among 122 respondents, 50 per cent reported their plans were fully funded on a going-concern basis, down significantly from […]

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BCI setting climate-related investment targets for 2025

bwolfe — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 11:00:08 +0000

The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is committing to five-year climate-related targets for its public markets program. The pension fund is targeting a cumulative $5-billion investment in sustainability bonds and a 30 per cent reduction of carbon exposure in its global public equities portfolio by 2025, according to a press release, which noted the targets […]

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Canada’s pension system gets top grades in new benchmark

bwolfe — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 11:00:40 +0000

Canada’s pension system was ranked first overall among 15 countries in the Global Pension Transparency Benchmark. It ranked Canadian funds first in governance, citing the “global reputation for superior performance and governance excellence” of Canada’s five largest funds, namely the British Columbia Investment Management Corp., the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec, the Canada […]

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