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RIA News
RIA Foundation & Endowment Forum
Two hundred investors & investment professionals attended the RIA Endowment Forum on October 17th in Toronto. The day was filled with insights to help grow RI & impact investing in the foundation & endowment community. Special thanks to our sponsors, speakers and partners for making the event a glowing success.
- View slide decks from the Forum here.
- View photos here.
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Attendee Feedback
As shown in the charts below, attendees gave overwhelmingly positive feedback on the RIA Foundation & Endowment Forum. 99% of survey respondents rated the Forum as good, very good or excellent, while 97% agreed or strongly agreed that the Forum provided a valuable learning and professional development experience.
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The RIA opened the market at the Toronto Stock Exchange on October 21st to
celebrate the close of Canada's 3rd annual Responsible Investment Week. The event aired live on BNN.
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Canadian Impact Investment Trends Report
The 2016 Canadian Impact Investment Trends Report shows that Canada's impact investment market is growing rapidly as it makes its way into public markets. 96% of impact investors who target competitive returns either met or outperformed
expectations. Special thanks to RBC for making the research possible.
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RIA Insights: Deb Abbey on Impact Investing
In her latest article for Investment Executive, Deb Abbey
highlights the growth of impact investing in Canada, and explains that a growing base of investors are looking for investments that contribute measurably to environmental and social sustainability.
Read
here
.
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Responsible investment professionals gathered to raise a glass at ESG Afterwork on October 19th in Toronto. The RIA hosts ESG Afterwork events to facilitate networking and build a community in the responsible investment space. View the photos here.
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The Q3 performance data for responsible investment funds are now available. Below are links to a full chart of RI funds, and a brief highlights report that makes a great handout for clients. F
ull chart
here.
Highlights
here.
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RIA Membership Growth
The RIA's membership base continues to grow! We enthusiastically welcome the following new members:
View the full RIA Member list
here.
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Upcoming RI Events
Nov 22, 2016, Toronto
Dec 5-6, 2016, Winnipeg
Feb 23-24, 2017, Vancouver
June 1-2, 2017, Vancouver
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RI Job Postings
Sustainalytics, Toronto
ISS Governance, Toronto
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Canada's Newest Recipients of RI Certification
Congratulations to Canada's newest recipients of the RIA's financial designations in recognition of expertise in responsible investing:
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Brad Wing (RIS), Envision Investment Services
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RI Industry News
CFA Institute updates curriculum to include ESG
CFA Institute is updating
its 2017 curriculum to include more focus on ESG issues based on feedback from its investment management practitioners. More.
ISS Survey: Majority of Investors Favour Tighter "Overboarding" Standards
ISS has released the results of its annual global benchmark voting policy survey, showing key trends related to overboarding, say on pay & other RI issues. More.
Most Ontarians haven't heard of RI, but are interested once they have
An online survey by Desjardins Wealth Management found more than 75% of Ontarians have never heard of RI, yet 55% are willing to adopt the strategy once they learn the details.
More.
What You Need to Know About the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards
The the latest evolution of GRI's reporting disclosures facilitate corporate reporting on topics such as GHG emissions, energy and water use and labour practices. More.
BNP Paribas brings new SDG Index to market later this year
BNP Paribas
plans to issue structured products tied to the
Solactive Sustainable Development Goals World Index, which uses a method designed by Vigeo Eiris Equitics
.
More
.
Morningstar launches sustainability indices
Morningstar is launching a series of indexes focused on identifying sustainable companies,
divided among a variety of markets and exposures. More.
Sustainable Investing Strategies Give Managers a Means to Stand Out
Global AUM linked to PRI signatories rose to $62 trillion in 2016, up 195% from 2010, with investor expectations and regulations driving demand for sustainable investing. More.
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ESG News
SEC Says Apple Must Allow Investors to Vote on Executive Pay Probe
Apple investors may now have a chance to vote on Tim Cook's compensation. The SEC said that Apple could not exclude a vote on whether the company should hire outside experts to reform its executive compensation practices from its annual proxy.
More
.
Airlines Pin Low-Carbon Future on Fuels Nobody Has Mass Produced
The airline industry's plan to ease its impact on global warming hinges on fuels made from vegetable oil, corn and household garbage.
More.
No slowdown in North Dakota oil pipeline construction, Energy Transfer says
Energy Transfer Partners said it will not slow down construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota that is contested by environmentalists and Native American groups.
More.
How Renewable Energy Has Blown Away Expectations
The International Energy Agency will raise its outlook for wind and solar installations following a decade of underestimating growth in the renewables industry. More.
Nevsun faces Eritrean forced labour trial in Canada
Nevsun Resources will face charges of forced labour in the Canadian courts, even though the allegations of slavery by its subsidiary occurred in Eritrea. More.
Investors encourage car companies to develop climate-resilient business models
Major investors have warned the automotive industry it needs to accelerate its readiness for a low-carbon world if it is to retain their support and prosper. More.
Walmart finds payoff in paying workers more
The retail giant has experienced higher sales since increasing pay, improving training and offering better opportunities for workers' advancement. More.
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Research & Analysis
Sustainalytics: Know the Chain | Food and Beverage Benchmark Findings Report
Sustainalytics contributed to this report on the transparency of food and beverage companies efforts to mitigate forced labour in their global supply chains.
More.
MSCI: Fossil Fuel Divestment: A Practical Introduction
This brief from MSCI is aimed at institutional investors facing the possibility or necessity of divesting from some type of fossil fuel holdings.
More.
RBC Economics: Further Action Needed on Carbon Pricing
This report lays out further action needed on carbon pricing to achieve Canada's target of reducing GHG emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.
Download.
SHARE: How Do Canadian Retail Companies Measure Up?
This case study highlights
the important role investors can play in seeking improved corporate disclosure of decent work and in holding companies accountable.
Download
.
CIBC Institutional Equity Research: Carbon Portfolio Tracker
This paper examines a holistic approach to portfolio construction, allowing investors to evaluate whether their portfolio has additional exposure to carbon risk. Download.
SASB: Technical Bulletin on Climate Risk
SASB's Technical Bulletin on Climate Risk is designed to help investors better understand, measure and manage their exposure to climate-related risk. More.
Sustainable Stock Exchanges: 2016 SSE Report on Progress Overview
This report examines stock exchanges' promotion of sustainable capital markets, and explores five SDG targets that stock exchanges are well positioned to support. More.
FCLT Global: Rising to the challenge of short-termism
The newly formed FCLT Global (formerly "Focusing Capital on the Long Term") has released a whitepaper highlighting the challenges and costs of short-termism. Download.
FAIRR Initiative: The Future of Food: The Investment Case for a Protein Shake Up
This brief warns of the environmental, social and public health risks inherent in the growing global demand for protein, currently valued inappropriately by financial markets.
Download
.
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IRRI 2016 Survey Now Open
The IRRI Survey 2016 is open for voting here. IRRI (Independent Research in Responsible Investment) is the annual review of RI & Corporate Governance research which explores aspects of investment research and communication including 'mainstream' integration, corporate engagement and sustainable financial markets. It enables asset owners, asset managers and research providers to highlight the strengths that they see in the market and the changes that they would like to see. It also allows them to name and reward the best research providers. The Survey is anonymous and takes 10 minutes to complete. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by WeConvene Extel and SRI-CONNECT.
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Viewpoints
AGF: What a Trump Presidency Means for Sustainable Investors
AGF's sustainable investment team argues that
long-term sustainability trends and themes transcend any single country, and
the transition to a sustainable economy will survive Trump's presidency. More.
Fred Pinto & Peter Chapman: Investors and Corporate Gender Inequality
This op-ed highlights the value of gender equality policies and practices and encourages investors to speak up in order to address the corporate gender gap. More.
Mary Jane McQuillen: Takeaways from ESG Investment Program
The Head of ESG at ClearBridge
Investments
assesses the progress made integrating ESG factors into investment decision-making and influencing corporate behaviour.
More
.
The co-founder of Purpose Capital lays out five actions needed to increase impact investment by conventional institutions and investors.
More.
Jeff Rubin: The Case for Divesting from Fossil Fuels in Canada
Rubin, a best-selling author and Senior Fellow at CIGI, believes the oil sands industry will soon have problems filling the capacity of existing pipelines in tomorrow's emission-constrained world.
Read the op-ed here.
Download the report
here
.
The former U.S. Treasury secretary and chief executive of Goldman Sachs expounds the merits of green finance as part of the solution to climate change.
More.
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Policy & Legal News
Consultation: Supporting a Strong and Growing Economy: Positioning Canada's Financial Sector for the Future
Deadline: November 15
The Department of Finance Canada has launched the first of a two-stage consultation process on the federal financial sector legislative and regulatory framework, including a
section on emerging risks such as "climate and environmental change
."
More
.
Signature Opportunity: PRI Global Statement on Investor Obligations and Duties
The Global Statement on Investor Obligations and Duties outlines
the need for investors to take account of ESG issues in their investment processes and decision-making, and for policymakers to clarify these obligations and ensure national policies are aligned. More.
CSA Releases Results on Women in Leadership Roles
Canada's securities regulatory authorities issued a report revealing "an increase in the number of women on boards in all size categories of issuers, with large issuers still leading the way." More.
UNEP Inquiry's Annual Report Shows Sustainable Finance Gaining Momentum
The UNEP Inquiry on the Design of a Sustainable Financial System's second annual report reveals a doubling in policy actions over the past five years to align the global financial system with sustainable development, along with a need for more action
.
More
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UN announces launch of new partnership platform to support financing for SDGs
The UN Secretary General announced the launch of a new platform for scaling up innovative financial solutions to support the achievement of SDGs by 2030.
More
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SASB Forms Investor Advisory Group to Improve ESG Disclosure
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board's new advisory group includes the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan among its founding members. More.
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Video: Disclosing Climate-Related Financial Risk
On October 31, the Atlantic Council hosted a conversation about the G20 Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures' plans to recommend new voluntary disclosure of climate-related risk information to stakeholders and increase transparency across industries. Speakers included Mary Schapiro, former SEC chair, and Ali Zaidi, Associate Director for National Resources, Energy, & Science, Office of Management and Budget at the White House. Watch here.
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Products & Services
New offerings from RIA Members
Genus releases Fossil Fuel Divestment Report
Genus Capital reports on the three-year investment returns of its Fossil Free Institutional Balanced Composite. Download.
New shareholder engagement firm opens in Canada
Æquo, a new firm backed by Bâtirente and Le Regroupement pour la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises, aims to improve ESG practices through shareholder engagement. More.
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Submissions
You are invited to submit news to be considered for inclusion in RIA newsletters.
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