Day 5 – Investments, reports, ESG

Climate Change and Pension Funds

Simon’s slides

The Canada Climate Law Initiative (CCLI) is Canada’s climate governance knowledge mobilization and policy hub. We work with 67 Climate Governance Experts to offer free, private, and confidential climate governance training, sharing insights on trustees’ duties, climate risks and opportunities, and climate disclosure requirements. We can work with your team to tailor our materials to suit your needs. Our presentations last between 30 minutes and 1 hour and a half. We will pair you with the expert that best suits your board (expertise, knowledge, industry). Get up to speed or level set your team’s understanding and contact Sonia li Trottier, Director of CCLI, at trottier@allard.ubc.ca For more information, consult the CCLI’s flyer.

Presentations

Jason’s slides

Susan’s slides

Presenter bios

Jason Campbell leads Eckler’s Investment Consulting practice.He provides investment strategy advice to a wide range of institutional clients, including DB and DC pension plans, endowment/foundations, corporations and non-profit organizations.

Simon Archer is a partner at Goldblatt Partners. He works with trade unions, retiree associations and boards of trustees across Canada, advising on negotiating pension and benefits, trust administration and fiduciary issues, public interest litigation, insolvencies, corporate accountability and governance.

Keep our pensions out of privatization

There’s a new resource for CUPE members, pension trustees and anti-privatization activists who want to keep public services and infrastructure in public hands. The Keep our pensions out of privatization toolkit gives CUPE activists and pension representatives information about the dangers of pension funds investing in public-private partnerships (P3s) and other types of privatization.

Download the kit

Required reading

Please read the articles linked here before we meet on Day 5 (Wednesday)
Opinion: Blackrock hired me to make sustainable investment mainstream
Canadian Pension Funds Are Financing the Exploitation of the Elderly
Canada’s big pensions say they’re investing responsibly — so why won’t they tell us what they’re investing in

Optional reading

The articles linked below are not required, but they offer a glimpse into the environmental, social and governance issues that face our pension plans.

Canadian pension funds invested nearly $1B in Bolsonaro-led water privatization scheme
Canadian pension funds driving privatization in Brazil
Already controversial for its ownership of Revera, one of Canada’s largest pension plans has just announced a $700-million joint venture with an architect of ‘the big short’
Invested in crisis – Briarpatch Magazine

Why Governance Matters In Sustainable Investing
Who Cares Wins: Connecting Financial Markets to a Changing World

Volkswagen emissions damages are still rolling in 5 years later

Stellantis CEO’s pay sparks anger from some trade unions ahead of French election
Stellantis announces $3.6-billion retool of Ontario plants to make electric and hybrid-fuel vehicles

Are Canada’s largest pensions putting your retirement at risk

Enhancing climate-related disclosures by standard listed companies

Kim Stanley Robinson novels
The Ministry for the Future
New York 2140