Canada’s largest public pension funds are showing modest improvements on climate action but are moving too slowly overall, according to a new report by a climate advocacy group. The progress report from Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health found four of the 11 pension plans it examined still don’t have emissions reduction targets […]
A majority (91 per cent) of Canadian institutional investors say climate change is a leading concern within the environmental, social and governance space, according to a new survey by Millani. The survey, which polled more than 30 institutional investors with a total of $4.5 trillion in assets under management, found 47 per cent of respondents also […]
The impacts of climate change and federal super-priority legislation on Canadian pension plans are among the issues that the Canadian Institute of Actuaries is monitoring in 2024, says Simon Nelson, a principal at Eckler Ltd. and chair of the CIA’s pension practice committee. While climate change is a consideration across all of the CIA’s practice […]
More than two-thirds of global employers view the lack of key talent and uncertain economic growth (68 per cent for both) as the top threats to their businesses, according to a survey by Russell Reynolds Associates. The survey, which polled more than 2,500 global board directors, C-suite leaders and next-generation leaders, found 62 per cent of […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is targeting a 30 per cent reduction in its carbon footprint by 2030, according to its new climate change report. It found that since 2018, when the investment organization first launched its climate action plan, it has increased its exposure to federal and provincial green bonds to $550 million. OPTrust also expects […]
During the launch of the University Pension Plan, Barbara Zvan, its president and chief executive officer, knew getting to know the plan’s members was vital to its goal of providing a strong, resilient fund that secured benefits for generations to come. To find out what was important to plan members, the UPP engaged them to find out […]
The rising opposition to environmental, social and governance metrics could lead to a confusing landscape for institutional investors evaluating the impact of their assets, said Hugh O’Reilly, executive director of Innovate Cities, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Risk Management Conference. “There has been a war declared on this south of the border, but […]
British Columbia’s wildfires have crystallized the threats pension plan administrators across that province face from catastrophic climate change events, says Damara Kiceniuk, senior risk analyst of pensions at the B.C. Financial Services Authority. However, these fires are just one catastrophic risk pension funds have to manage. These risks have prompted the organization to release a discussion […]
An article on the federal government’s plan to scrap Canada mortgage bonds and the potential impact on pension funds was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Feds’ plan to discontinue Canada mortgage bonds may limit pension funds’ abilities to mitigate risk: PIAC […]
Environmental, social and governance investing is a powerful tool that can reveal systemic issues impacting all parts of institutional investors’ portfolios, said Aaron Bennett, chief investment officer of the University Pension Plan, during the 2023 Responsible Investment Association conference last week. Some of these issues can accrue over time — and, when they finally manifest, they can […]