In November, leading public intellectuals, pension leaders and investment experts joined delegates at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2021 Investment Innovation Conference at the Pillar and Post Inn and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

During their presentations, the event’s speakers touched on a veritable smorgasbord of topics relevant to defined benefit pension plan sponsors. Despite the breadth of the content, many of the presentations kept returning to a similar point: we live in a time of great uncertainty.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the world grew less centralized and more globalized and politically polarized — changes that have brought new risks and opportunities for plan sponsors to be aware of. In the articles included in this booklet, we’ve done our best to capture the essence of each of these informative presentations in a concise manner.

While abbreviated, we hope the articles will serve to remind delegates of the key points raised during the conference. For readers who were unable to attend, it’s our hope this booklet will convince you to attend next year’s conference.

Here’s what you missed:

Considerations for pension plan sponsors in a post-pandemic political climate 

The impact of climate change on asset valuation

Maximizing the certainty of an outcome — it isn’t just death and taxes 

A look at one investment manager’s responsible investing journey

How OPTrust is designing, implementing an effective ESG strategy

Is inflation here to stay?

Unlocking investment innovation in Canada’s Indigenous communities

CBC Pension Plan monitoring, refining LDI strategy

Are pension plan sponsors rethinking real estate investments in work-from-home era? 

Find out more about the Canadian Investment Review‘s events.