A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute says pension plan fiduciaries shouldn’t ignore climate change and other environmental, social, and governance factors that are relevant to financial purposes. However, when plan fiduciaries use ESG factors to prioritize social or environmental concerns, such as those expressed by plan members, they put themselves on shaky legal […]
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is advising the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities to strengthen its proposed guideline on risks related to environmental, social and governance factors, including consideration for pension plan liabilities and climate-related disclosure. In an open letter to the CAPSA, the CIA suggested including a section on how ESG factors should […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is advising the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities to take a less prescriptive approach in its proposed guidelines on risks related to environmental, social and governance factors, cybersecurity and leverage. In an open letter to the CAPSA, the ACPM said a one-size-fits-all approach to ESG regulation could potentially […]
Increasingly, defined contribution plan sponsors are grappling with adding environmental, social and governance investing options to their plans as a growing number of members ask for them, but the legal landscape for ESG investing is complicated, according to Kathy Bush, partner at Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, during Benefits Canada’s 2022 DC Investment Forum in late […]
While defined contribution pension plans currently outnumber defined benefit pension plans, this wasn’t always the case, recalls Bita Jenab, a principal at RetirementWorks Services Inc. DC plans began to gain popularity in the mid-1980s, due to a combination of legislative and economic changes, she adds. “This period marks the introduction of pension accounting rules under […]
The Association of Canadian Pension Management is cautioning the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities on its revisions to guidelines for capital accumulation plans. The draft guidelines could “change the balance of the existing guidelines in a manner that will give many employers pause about starting or continuing CAP plans that are not defined contribution […]
A resolution passed by the trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration with the approval of Governor Ron DeSantis is barring state pension fund managers from making fiduciary decisions based on environmental, social and governance criteria. “As used in this section, ‘pecuniary factor’ means a factor that the board prudently determines is expected to […]
Four of British Columbia’s public sector pension plans are educating trustees with a new plan-specific curriculum. The curriculum — a collaboration between the College Pension Plan, the Municipal Pension Plan, the Public Service Pension Plan and the Teachers’ Pension Plan — was developed in response to a lack of plan-specific information provided in external education […]
With the increased focus on integrating environmental, social and governance factors into pension plans, a new approach by BlackRock Inc. could have a significant impact on many Canadian defined contribution pension plans, group registered retirement savings plans and other types of workplace capital accumulation plans. The money manager recently announced it will be adopting an ESG approach […]
The potential impact of a disorderly transition to a low carbon economy is a top factor driving financial market regulators to accelerate and focus their efforts on climate-related risks, said Tamara DeMos, chair of the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ environmental, social and governance committee and managing director of private pensions. Speaking during the […]