Canadian Investment Review Experts

Sam Goodman

Sam Goodman is the senior director of policy at the China Strategic Risks Institute.

These are the views of the author and not necessarily those of Canadian Investment Review.

The decision by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board this month to reduce 10 per cent of its China equity team based in Hong Kong is a positive move. It highlights a shift in the CPPIB’s approach to China, which previously saw the Canadian pension fund fend off accusations that its past investment activity in […]

  • March 28, 2024 March 27, 2024
  • 09:00

Reports that a leading asset manager is delaying the launch of a Chinese bond fund indefinitely are a clear sign that the facade around Chinese stocks’ and bonds’ environmental, social and governance record may be lifting. In recent years, rising investment in Chinese stocks and bonds coincided with a boom in ESG investing. Of course, […]

  • November 24, 2022 November 24, 2022
  • 12:30

With the repatriation of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor following their three-year incarceration in China, relations between Ottawa and Beijing are to be reset. As Foreign Minister Marc Garneau put it, Canada will now coexist, compete, co-operate and challenge China. To do this, Canada should start paying closer attention to the signals its pension […]

  • October 12, 2021 October 25, 2021
  • 09:00

It’s a welcome development that so many pension fund managers are increasingly preoccupied with the ethical implications of their investments and incorporating data to ensure that funds adhere to the environmental, social and governance criteria. Described by Mirza Baig, global head of ESG research and stewardship at Aviva Investors, as the “year ESG came of age,” 2020 saw record sustainable […]

  • July 6, 2021 July 21, 2021
  • 09:00

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Expert panel: Use words, imagery for inclusive employee communications

Words and imagery have the power to connect, evoke emotion and elicit a reaction. They also have the power to be inclusive, or exclusive, and…

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How to communicate the value of a benefits plan to employees

It’s often said perception is reality and that’s definitely true when it comes to benefits plans. If employees can’t easily perceive the value in their…

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Connect to employees through the clutter with short, digital communications

How long is your attention span? Be honest and think back to the last time you received an email about your employee benefits and didn’t…

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Constructive dismissal and the corresponding duty to mitigate damages

In a recent case, the Ontario Superior Court found an employee failed to mitigate damages when he refused a return-to-work offer from his employer, with whom he…

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A summary of Ontario’s changing employment and labour legislation

Many of the changes that were introduced to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act in January 2018 were short-lived, as the province’s new government elected in June…

  • February 19, 2019 September 13, 2019
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Employer obligations around medical pot, benefits plans

With the legalization of recreational cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018, employers have been preparing to answer questions about whether their current benefits plans should provide…

  • December 4, 2018 September 13, 2019
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Court confirms employer’s right to change job conditions

In a recent decision, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found an employer didn’t constructively dismiss a long-service employee when it provided her with 18 months…

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Consider health benefits, workplace policies as legal cannabis approaches

On Oct. 17, 2018, it will be legal to purchase and consume recreational cannabis in Canada. In a recent survey of Mercer’s employer clients and Canadian employees, we found…

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Creating a thriving workplace with data, personalized employee benefits

Some organizations are unique. Their employees are genuinely excited to be at work and an undercurrent of energy and vitality permeates the air. They’ve transformed the…

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Time to get to work on measuring absenteeism due to mental health

While many Canadian organizations continue to search for solutions to rising health-care costs, most are falling short. That’s why they must investigate any opportunity to find…

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Four ideas to mitigate challenges of Canada’s retirement savings gap

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Expert panel: How institutional investors are adapting to a post-pandemic global economy

Renowned American businessman and investor Charlie Munger once said, “You have to keep learning if you want to become a great investor. When the world…

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Expert panel: Defining risk depends on investing horizon

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Do cryptocurrencies have a place for value-oriented investors?

What’s the value of Bitcoin? Or better, what makes it valuable? Is it because many people think it’s valuable? Is it valuable because it’s cool…

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Expert panel: How will CAPSA’s risk management guideline impact pension plan administrators?

The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ guideline for risk management provides that plan administrators should create a framework to identify, evaluate, manage and monitor…

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Expert panel: New research brings mortality improvement into spotlight for pension plan sponsors

One of the many consequences of the coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented interest in the life expectancy of Canadians. While the increased focus on life…

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Expert panel: What does 2024 hold in store for the pension industry?

With the arrival of the new year, there are three topics that will be important for pension plan sponsors, members and other industry stakeholders in…

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Expert panel: How interest rates impact DB pension plans

Interest rate levels are critically important to the financial health of defined benefit pension plans. Many DB plans are in their best financial positions in…

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Expert panel: The different pathways to pursuing a total portfolio approach

The total portfolio approach is gaining interest as a new investing strategy for pension funds and other asset owners, but its novel status may be…

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Expert panel: How transition investments can help institutional investors reach net zero

Driven by the net-zero pledge towards green investments, institutional investors are finding themselves uncomfortably wedged between a rock and a hard place. If they invest…

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Expert panel: How DC plan members can hedge longevity risk for more effective decumulation

Retiring baby boomers are in an era of decumulation anxiety, as they convert their pension assets into income that they fear won’t hold up over…

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Expert panel: Institutional investors should re-evaluate fees in ‘turbulent twenties’

An altering macroeconomic environment means that cost management requires continual attention by pension plans and other institutional investors. Today, as inflation and higher-for-longer rates exert…

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Expert panel: Have hedge funds budged on hurdle rates?

Even though it has been two years since the U.S. Federal Reserve started rapidly hiking interest rates, hedge fund managers aren’t more likely to have…

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Equity market turmoil and the active investment debate

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Expert panel: The importance of employee feedback in shaping benefits plans

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Expert panel: How employers can support neurodiverse workers through benefits, workplace policies

Canadian employers have taken important steps forward on a range of diversity, equity and inclusion matters. That work continues, particularly in the context of neurodiversity,…

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Expert panel: How employers can support a multigenerational workforce

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Expert panel: How employers can align their benefits plan and DEI strategy

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Expert panel: Cessation of real return bonds increases risk profile for Canadian pension fund model

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Inflation To Hit 3%: Spence Argues

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Expert panel: Employers taking preventative, holistic approach to employee mental health in 2024

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Expert panel: How storytelling can support employee mental health

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Expert panel: How employers can support employee mental health in 2023

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Canadian Investment Review Experts

Sam Goodman

Expert Panel: CPPIB taking steps to face shifting investment landscape in China

The decision by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board this month to reduce 10 per cent of its China equity team based in Hong Kong…

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Expert panel: China’s ESG mask slips

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Sounding board: Institutional investors making Canada’s approach to China unsustainable

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  • October 12, 2021 October 25, 2021
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ESG investing and human rights: “Ignorance is no longer an excuse”

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Expert panel: How plan sponsors are navigating benefits costs, innovations in 2024

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Expert panel: Risk management, target-benefit framework among themes shaping pension industry in 2024

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Expert panel: Air Canada decision illustrates danger of relying on pension plan terms in wrongful dismissal actions

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Expert panel: An update on regulatory oversight of pension risk management

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Expert panel: Is risk management the new frontier in pension governance?

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Expert panel: How employers can support transgender, gender non-conforming employees

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Expert panel: How portable benefits can support inclusivity among gig workers

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Expert panel: Employers embracing DEI to overcome labour shortages in 2023

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Expert panel: How employers, employees can mitigate workplace microaggressions

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Expert panel: How to connect with employees in a remote world

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Planning for the new post-pandemic normal

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Expert panel: What does Canadian pension legislation say about polyamory?

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Expert panel: What does it mean for pension plan members to live separate and apart?

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Expert panel: How employers can design health benefits, retirement plans for gig workers

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Expert panel: Can pension administrators deny benefits to plan members who don’t submit proof-of-life forms?

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Expert panel: How ESG-focused TDFs could impact workplace CAPs

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Expert panel: Why employers should offer group TFSAs in 2022

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Investing in low-carbon economy will pay off for pension plans

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Rayaz Khan

Expert panel: Publicity placing employees in false light could lead to legal issues

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The ins and outs of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy one year on

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Uber case about arbitration clause, not classification of employees

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  • September 8, 2020 November 30, 2020
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A legal update on the government’s CEWS and CERB programs

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