The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is continuing its investment partnership with MacKinnon, Bennett & Company Inc. in the form of a new joint $150-million investment in late-venture and early growth-stage companies focused on the decarbonization and transition to renewable-energy-powered transportation. The Caisse initially invested in the company in 2016 and again in […]
Canadian businesses are grappling with how they’ll handle the vaccination of staff, and for some that means allowing workers to get the shot on company time. At least 35 tech companies in the country, including SkipTheDishes, Borrowell and FreshBooks, signed a pledge Friday from the Council of Canadian Innovators vowing to let their staff slip […]
The Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan is betting that artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a role in pension administration going forward. “I won’t pretend that we’re Netflix or Tesla in this, but we are [taking] small steps today so we can take advantage of these advances of technology into the […]
The most powerful and durable investment themes are those where ingenuity sparks innovation to address imbalances in the world, said David Docherty, investment director for thematics at Schroders, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference in November. He pointed to imbalance between population and resources as an example, and themes related to […]
Now is the time for institutional investors to buy value, small cap and cyclical stocks and hold steady while the economy builds back, says Bill Callahan, an investment strategist at Schroders. Indeed, energy and financial sector stocks saw gains Monday as investors are rotating from growth and large cap stocks after Moderna Inc. released data […]
The second-in-command at the Bank of Canada is warning that economic “scars” from the coronavirus pandemic could become permanent without concerted effort from all Canadians. The pandemic remains an important day-to-day concern for governments and policy-makers, but more discussion and preparation for the post-pandemic recovery needs to take place, said senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins, […]
President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a vulnerable economic recovery under threat from a resurgent virus, likely with a divided Congress that will hinder his ability to address the challenges. Yet despite the obstacles, the former vice-president and senator will pursue a drastic shift in America’s economic policy. He has vowed to reverse much of the […]
Sun Life Financial is introducing a digital program to advance workplace diversity, inclusion and equity among its global workforce. The peer learning program, by Hive Learning Ltd., is designed to help employees own, accelerate and embed change, increasing the pace at which inclusion becomes a habit, according to a press release. Read: How to use benefits to support […]
The Equitable Life Insurance Co. of Canada is enhancing its online enrolment tool for group benefits plan members. New employees will now be able to directly enter their enrolment information and designate a beneficiary, while users will also be reminded before the enrolment period expires, according to a press release. The tool was originally launched in […]
The coronavirus pandemic has taught investors that looking even six months ahead can be a challenge, so how can plan sponsors take a longer-term view? “The further ahead you look, the more variables there are and the more embarrassing your predictions might turn out to be,” said Ben Drury, client services director at Baillie Gifford, […]