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RIA News
Coming Soon: Canadian RI Fundamentals
The RIA will soon launch a new course for investment advisors, reps and planners to gain advanced knowledge of Canada's RI industry. Canadian RI Fundamentals will provide education about the Canadian RI landscape, including a detailed overview of RI mutual fund companies and their products. The course is ideal for credit unions and financial institutions to train their front office staff.
The course will launch in early February, and is eligible for 5 CE credits from IIROC, FPSC and IAFE. RIA Members are eligible for individual discounts and special group rates. More details will soon be announced.
Encasa Joins the RIA as Associate Member
We are pleased to welcome
Encasa Financial Inc. as an RIA Associate Member. Encasa is a registered Investment Fund Manager with close to $500 million of assets under management, and
has been involved with responsible investment for years.
More
.
CoPower Joins the RIA as Supporting Member
We are also pleased to welcome CoPower as an RIA Supporting Member. CoPower is a new investment platform that makes it easy to invest in a clean energy infrastructure, with the first CoPower Green Bond available to all Canadian investors in February 2016. More.
New Certified RI Advisors and Professionals
A round of congratulations goes out to Canada's newest Certified Responsible Investment Advisors and Professionals! Congrats to
Stephen Whipp (RIAC) of Stephen Whipp Financial, Wolverton Securities Ltd.,
Patti Dolan (RIAC) of Raymond James Ltd.,
Tena Rieck (RIAC) of RBC Dominion Securities, and
Walid Michael Zabaneh (RIPC) of Ernst & Young. More about certification
here.
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Next Week: RIA Conference Early Bird
Early Bird registration for the 2016 RIA Conference will open on Tuesday, January 26th. Watch your inbox for the launch! There are still a few sponsorship opportunities available. Click the image above for the RIA Conference sponsorship package.
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RI Events
J
anuary 27, Vancouver
January 28, Calgary
January 29, Montréal
January 29, Toronto
February 2, Toronto
February 25, Vancouver
February 25-26, Vancouver
May 4-6, Toronto
June 6-7, Toronto
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RI Job Postings
Responsible Asset Management, Wolverton Securities, B.C. and Alberta
Stephen Whipp Financial, Wolverton Securities, Victoria/Langford, B.C.
CPP Investment Board, Toronto, ON.
OceanRock Investments, Vancouver, B.C.
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RI Industry News
New NEI Environmental Leaders Fund
NEI's new Environmental Leaders Fund seeks to achieve long-term capital growth by investing in rapidly expanding environmental markets. Press release
here. News story
here.
MSCU to Offer All GICs as RI
RI Member Mennonite Savings and Credit Union has announced that all of its GICs qualify as responsible investments.
More.
AGF: Why the Paris Climate Agreement Matters for Investors
AGF's Martin Grosskopf and Hyewon Kong share insights on why the COP21 Paris climate agreement matters for investors. Video
here. PDF
here.
Ontario to Issue Second Green Bond
Sales of the bond, expected to be $500 million in size, will fund eco-friendly infrastructure projects across Ontario. Media release
here
. News story
here
.
New SEC Sustainability Disclosure Search Tool
A new tool from Ceres enables users to find whether disclosures in annual SEC filings discuss climate, hydraulic fracturing and water risks. The tool covers all companies that file reports with the SEC.
More.
Bâtirente: Report on Portfolio Carbon Footprint
As a subscriber of the Montréal Carbon Pledge, RIA Member Bâtirente has committed to an
annual disclosure of the carbon footprint of its equity portfolios.
More.
Global Stock Exchanges Adopt Guidelines for ESG Metrics
The GSE urges companies to report on ESG metics and to use standardized reporting frameworks, in order to have more reliable information material to the bottom line.
More.
Batirente Awards Fossil-Free Mandate to AGF
B
âtirente awards $7m fossil-free mandate to AGF Investments following the Montreal Carbon Pledge. News story
here (subscription), Batirente document
here (page 8).
Goldman Sachs to Launch Climate-Focused ETF
The S&P 500 Environmental & Socially Responsible ETF will start with the components of the S&P 500, and then screen out companies that do not meet ESG criteria. More.
State Street Global Advisors Launch S&P 500 Fossil Fuel Free ETF
The ETF is designed to help investors seeking to eliminate fossil fuel reserves from their portfolio while maintaining exposure to the core of the S&P 500 Index.
More.
Sustainable Stock Exchanges Newsletter
Subscribe to Ceres and the UN SSE's monthly newsletter to stay up to date on efforts to convince the world's stock exchanges to implement mandatory ESG disclosure listing requirements. Read the latest newsletter or subscribe.
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ESG News
Suncor, Cenovus Launch Cleantech Fund
Suncor and Cenovus have partnered to launch a $100 million cleantech fund.
More.
Top CEOs Paid 184 Times Average Worker Salary
Highest-paid CEOs, with only two women on the list, have seen their salaries rise twice as quickly as the pay of average Canadians.
More
.
Rio Tinto Faces Legal Challenges from First Nations in BC and Quebec
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and environmental concerns are front and centre as First Nations in BC and Quebec challenge the global mining giant. More.
Slavery in Shrimp Industry Uncovered in Major Retailers and Supermarkets
Poor migrant workers and children sold to factories in Thailand and forced to peel shrimp that end up in global supply chains, including Wal-Mart and Red Lobster.
More.
Earthquake in Northern B.C. Caused by Fracking
British Columbia's energy regulator has confirmed that the 4.6 magnitude earthquake in northeast B.C. in August last year was caused by a nearby fracking operation. This may be the largest earthquake in the world caused by hydraulic fracturing.
More.
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Research & Analysis
Meta Analysis of 2000+ Studies: ESG Boosts Financial Performance
New meta analysis of over 2000 empirical studies reveals that ESG integration has a positive and durable impact on financial performance of companies. More.
RIA Members Among Top Ranked Firms in 2015 IRRI Survey
Consistent with previous years, RIA Members MSCI ESG Research, Sustainalytics, and Bloomberg are at the top of the latest rankings of RI research firms.
More.
RIA Member Coro Strandberg on Accelerating Corporate Sustainability and CSR
Coro Strandberg and CBSR launch guide on the transformational company, with the 17th quality surrounding the opportunities of sustainable business models. Report
here
.
Factory Farming: Assessing the ESG Investment Risks
New research presents potentially enormous financial risks surrounding the rapid growth of factory farming for the investment community.
Summary
here
. Full report
here
.
Insights from RIA Member Sustainalytics
Sustainalytics regularly shares insights, including theme reports and various alerts, on key industries and ideas about current business trends that have an ESG implication. More.
MSCI: 2016 ESG Trends to Watch Report
In RIA Member MSCI's annual trends to watch report, they highlight the key ESG trends that are top of mind for investors going into the New Year. More.
New Insights from RIA Member Vancity
In their new insight, Vancity Investment Management addresses renewable energy solutions as investments, using a four-pronged climate risk strategy. More.
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Viewpoints
Michael Jantzi on Investor Reporting on Portfolio Systems-Level Performance
Sustainalytics' CEO says that current models should be vigorously questioned as to whether they can support our increasingly complex financial system, and that an impactful framework will not come without heavy debates. Story here (subscription). PDF here.
Deb Abbey on Responsible Investment and Climate Policy
RIA CEO Deb Abbey explains that advisors should be pleased that many of the companies in their clients' portfolios are recognizing the risks and opportunities associated with climate change increasingly and that some are willing to show leadership around the transition toward a low-carbon global economy. More.
Jane Ambachtsheer: What COP21 Means for Investors
Ambachtsheer says investment portfolios need to be stress-tested under different climate change scenarios over a 10 to 35 year time frame in order to prudently manage risk, along with strong governance for the effective management of climate risk.
More.
Laura Nishikawa, MSCI Analyzes COP21 Implications
Laura Nishikawa, Head of Fixed Income at MSCI ESG Research, summarizes the implications of the Paris Climate Agreement for companies.
More
BlackRock: How Investors are Thinking about Climate Risk
As we move towards a low-carbon economy, investors and their advisors should take advantage of investment opportunities and build sustainable portfolios. More.
Morgan Stanley: Three Sustainable Investing Themes in 2016
Investors are increasingly looking at ESG integration as core to prudent investment and value creation, with focus placed on climate change and inequality.
More
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Submissions
You are invited to submit news to be considered for inclusion in RIA newsletters
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