Category: News

Congratulations to Canada’s newest recipients of the RIA’s financial designations in recognition of expertise in responsible investing. View a full list of RIA-Certified individuals here.

Learn more about the RIA’s training and certifications here.

Taylor Gray (RIS), Continuum II Inc.
Wendy Adams (RIS), Sun Life Financial
Khalil Allioui (RIS), Desjardins
Peter Andreana (RIS), Continuum II Inc.
Dominique Asselin (RIS), RBC Gestion de Patrimoine Dominion
Simon Auger (RIS), Desjardins
Kenneth Bache (RIS), RBC GAM
Guillaume Beaulieu (RIS), Desjardins
Manon Bélanger (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Michael Bendahan (RIS), FÉRIQUE
Marie-Christine Bergeron (RIS), Desjardins
Nadine Bernier (RIS), RBC Gestion de Patrimoine Dominion
Suzie Blanchette (RIS), Desjardins
Michael Bonomo (RIS), Continuum II Inc.
Pauline Bourguelat (RIS), Desjardins
Leanne Castonguay (RIS), Assiniboine Credit Union
Emna Chebbi (RIS), Desjardins
Frédéric Comptour (RIS), Desjarinds
Karine Contant (RIS)
Blake Corey (RIS), Sunlife
John Cossey (RIS), Kindred Credit Union
Muhammad Dar (RIS), Conexus Credit Union
Yvonne Davidson (RIPC)
Jason Dechene (RIS), Libro Credit Union
Jean-François Desforges (RIS), Desjardins
Nathalie Desmarais (RIS), Mérici Services Financiers
Alexandre Doyon (RIAC), Desjardins
Nathalie Duguay (RIS), Desjardins
Tammy Esmaeilzadeh (RIS), Meridian Credit Union
Martine Fabre (RIS), SFL Placements
Giuseppe Fasulo (RIS), SFL Placements
Charlene Fitkowsky (RIS), sunova financial services
Pascale Gagné (RIS), Services Financiers Guilbert inc.
Harsh Gajjar (RIS), Servus Credit Union
Maxime Gauthier (RIS), MÉRICI SERVICES FINANCIERS
Stephen Greenham (RIS), Sterling Mutuals Inc.
Danika Grenier-O’Bready (RIS), FÉRIQUE
Travis Hebert (RIS), Edward Jones
Ali-Khan Hemraj (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Benjamin Jean-Baptiste (RIS), Desjardins
Mark Johnson (RIS), Meridian Credit Union
Premsai Karampudi (RIPC)
Kirk Kelly (RIS), Thrive Wealth Management
Veronique Kisovec (RIS), Financière Banque Nationale
Peter Kortenaar (RIAC), Investors Group Securities Inc.
Eric Kouakou N’dri (RIS), Desjardins
Henriane Latour De Lafontaine (RIS), Desjardins
Nicolas Laurencelle (RIS), Sun Life
Brian Lavoie (RIS), HollisWealth
Avery Lee (RIS), Servus Credit Union
Yves Lessard (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Ashton Liang (RIS), Aviso
Lisa Lyttle (RIS)
Jordan MacLeod (RIS), Libro Credit Union
Shawn Martel (RIS), Assante Quebec
Julie McLinchey (RIS), Libro Credit Union
Olivier Mercier (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Zohreh Nouri (RIS), Merdian Credit Union
Roel Olay (RIS), TD Wealth Private Investment
Gregory Perteet (RIS)
Marie Philipson (RIS), UNI Coopération financière
Neil Pickup (RIS), Aviso Wealth
Mark Pike (RIS), Summerland Financal Services Ltd.
Sylvain Pominville (RIS), Desjardins
Louis-Charles Préfontaine (RIS), Financière Banque Nationale
Mouad Rachidi (RIS), Desjardins
William Ratté (RIS), Desjardins
Dana Rissling (RIS), Innovation Credit Union
Jean-François Robert (RIS), Finances d’OR
Frédéric Robin (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Susan Roddy (RIS), Libro Credit Union
Catrina Roth (RIS), Servus Wealth Strategies
Matthew Santoro (RIS), NEI Investments
Brooklyn Scott (RIS), Desjardins
Susan Tubrett (RIS), Credential Financial Strategies
Julien Valat (RIS), Sunlife
Teresa Valenti (RIS), Meridian Credit Union
Sarah Verreault (RIS), Planification Financière Mara inc.
Catherine Walsh (RIS), Desjardins
Janet West (RIS), Interior Savings
Tanya Whelan (RIS), Synergy Credit Union
Grant Williams (RIS), Edward Jones

Data provided by Fundata shows that in the second quarter of 2020, as equity markets rebounded from first quarter losses, RI funds continued to hold up well relative to their conventional fund peers: a significant majority of Canadian RI funds outperformed their average asset class return in the three-month period. This follows the strong relative results in Q1 2020 when 83% of RI funds out-performed their average asset class return in that quarter.

RI funds also performed well over the short to long-term periods relative to their average asset class return, highlighting the value of incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions. Over the one-year period ending June 30, 2020, more than 86% of RI funds outperformed their average asset class return. Roughly eight-in-ten of RI funds outperformed their average asset class return over the three- and five-year periods, and more than seven-in-ten of RI funds outperformed over the ten-year period ending June 30, 2020.

See the graphs below for a quick overview of notable RI fund performance in the second quarter of 2020. RIA Members can download the full report by logging in to their account and accessing Member Resources.

Average RI fund vs. Average Asset Class Performance (%) to June 30, 2020

Note: Average asset class return includes RI and non-RI funds.

In the Canadian Equity fund class, nearly 83% of RI funds outperformed their average asset class return in the second quarter of 2020 and 74% of RI funds outperformed their average asset class return for the one year ending June 30, 2020. A large majority of RI funds also outperformed over the three-year, five-year and ten-year periods reviewed in this report.

In the Canadian Fixed Income Balanced fund class, all of the RI funds outperformed their average asset class return over the three-month, one-year and three-year periods ending June 30, 2020. Nearly all the RI funds with performance data outperformed over the five-year period and all RI funds with performance data outperformed over the 10-year period ending June 30, 2020.

In the Canadian Neutral Balanced fund class, over 90% of the RI funds outperformed their average asset class return over the three-month, one-year, three-year and five-year periods ending June 30, 2020. All the RI funds with performance data outperformed their average asset class return over the 10-year period ending in the quarter.

In the Global Equity fund class, more than 71% of RI funds outperformed their average asset class return over the three-month period, with the vast majority of the RI funds in the category outperformed their average asset class return over the medium to long term periods reviewed in this report.

Download Q2 2020 Highlights PDF.

Data provided by Fundata

 

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DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this report is for educational and general information purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute advice nor does it constitute an offering of securities or any advertisement for the offering of securities. You should not act or rely on the information without seeking professional advice. While we believe the information to be reliable [and endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct], we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, timeliness, suitability or availability with respect to the report or the information, products, services or related graphics contained in the report for any purpose. The RIA does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any investment products listed in the report.

Toronto – June 25, 2020 – The Responsible Investment Association (RIA) is pleased to announce the release of its 2019 annual report. The report summarizes the organization’s progress along its five strategic priorities for achieving the RIA’s overarching goal of driving the adoption of responsible investing (RI) in Canada’s retail and institutional markets.

The RIA’s five strategic priorities:

1. Market Education: Promoting awareness, understanding, and demand for RI;
2. Integration: Supporting the integration of RI within investment firms and advisor practices;
3. Advocacy: Working towards a policy framework that is conducive to RI;
4. Brand & Reputation: Bolstering the RIA’s national brand & reputation as the leading hub for RI;
5. Capacity Building: Building our financial and human capital resources to support these goals.

The Annual Report summarizes our work toward delivering on these priorities in 2019.

Download the full report here.

About the Responsible Investment Association
The Responsible Investment Association (RIA) is a nonprofit, membership-based organization dedicated to the advancement of responsible investment in Canada. The RIA’s membership is composed of over 400 institutional investors and investment professionals who practice and support responsible investing. To learn more about the RIA, please visit www.riacanada.ca.

The RIA is pleased to announce the winners and finalists of the inaugural 2020 RIA Leadership Awards:

Market Education (Organizational)

Winner: NATOA/SHARE
Project: Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative (RRII) (collaborative entry)

Finalist: Genus Capital Management
Project: Driving awareness and demand for responsible investments.

Integration (Organizational)

Winner: Sustainalytics
Project: Sustainalytics roll-out of flagship ESG Risk Ratings

Finalist: Inspirit Foundation
Project: 100% Impact Portfolio

Advocacy (Organizational)

Winner: SHARE
Project: Canada’s Modern Slavery Legislation Initiative

Finalist: Ivey Foundation
Project: Building Sustainable Finance Capacity in Canada

Individual Leadership

Winner: Tim Nash
Project: Market Education – Public Awareness

Finalist: Gabriel Flores
Project: Market Education – Leading by example

 

Our sincere congratulations to the Winners, whose submissions exemplified leading-edge projects, practices and activities that are contributing to the advancement of responsible investment in Canada. Finalists, who received the second-highest scores in their category, are commended for demonstrating excellence in RI with their competitive submissions. We thank all organizations and individuals who made submissions, as they showcased the great breadth of work that has been done and considerable momentum for RI going forward.

The RIA is also very grateful to the Panel of Judges for their diligence, time and commitment to judging the submissions in an unbiased manner.

Process

The 2020 RIA Leadership Awards were launched to recognize RIA members who contributed to the RIA’s Strategic Priorities in Canada in 2019, in three categories:

• Market Education: Driving awareness and demand for responsible investments
• Integration: Developing RI capacity of investment professionals
• Advocacy: Shifting public policy and regulation to support RI

Originally, Organizational and Individual Awards were going to be granted in each category, for a total of 6 Awards. However, due to the number of Individual Awards submissions received, and with the agreement of the individuals affected, RIA (in consultation with the Awards Committee) decided to maintain the three categories for organizational members, and combine the individual members into one category.

We received a total of 19 submissions for the 2020 RIA Leadership Awards during the submission period of January 28th to April 14th, 2020. A detailed breakdown is shown below:

• RIA Leadership Award for Market Education – 5 submissions from organizations
• RIA Leadership Award for Integration – 8 submissions from organizations
• RIA Leadership Award for Advocacy – 3 submissions from organizations
• RIA Individual Leadership Award – 3 submissions from individuals

Submissions consisted of a project description, long-form answers to questions in the categories and sub-themes below, and supplementary materials.

Category: Originality

• Sub-themes: Ambition, Innovation, Uniqueness

Category: Design & Delivery

• Sub-themes: Design, Methodology, Accessibility, Comprehensibility, Success

Category: Influence

• Sub-themes: Mainstream, Impact, Momentum

Submissions were assessed by a panel of twelve judges, who scored the submissions independently, with no communication amongst them. Submissions were scored on a scale from 1-5 for each sub-theme listed above, with 5 being the highest score. Judges submitted their scorecards to RIA staff, and staff calculated the average scores for each submission. The maximum possible score was 15. The Winners were those with the highest average score, and the Finalists had the second highest.

Two judges were recused from assessing certain categories due to potential conflicts of interest in accordance with the judging guidelines.

RIA staff reviewed all the judges’ scorecards to look for anomalies or potential signs of bias, and found none. Therefore, RIA staff accepted the judges’ scores without challenging or amending any of the scores. RIA staff had zero influence on the scoring outcomes.

All organizations and individuals who entered a submission for the Awards will receive a copy of their final scorecard, along with the scores of the Winner and Finalist in their category, and the range of scores given for all the submissions in their category. The winners’ and finalists’ scorecards can be found here:

• NATOA/SHARE – Market Education
• Sustainalytics – Integration
• SHARE – Advocacy
• Tim Nash – Individual Leadership

You can find out more information about the Winning Submissions on the Awards page.

The Covid-19 pandemic is having myriad impacts on markets, including the market for responsible investments that incorporate ESG factors.

Here are four market trends to watch at the nexus of ESG and COVID-19 from RIA CEO Dustyn Lanz’s latest column for Investment executive.

1. “S” moves to the forefront
2. ESG is delivering alpha in a down market
3. Assets are still flowing into ESG funds
4. Impact investment opportunities on the rise

Read the full article.

Data provided by Fundata shows that despite history-making market volatility in the first quarter of 2020, 83% of Canadian RI funds outperformed their average asset class return in the three-month period, and a significant majority (80%) outperformed over the one-year period ending March 31, 2020.

RI funds also performed well over longer- term periods relative to their average asset class return, highlighting the long-term value of incorporating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions. More than seven-in-ten RI funds outperformed their average asset class return over the three-year, five-year and ten- year periods ending March 31, 2020.

Download Q1 2020 Highlights.

RIA Members can download the full report by logging in to their account and accessing Member Resources.

Data provided by Fundata.

 

 

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DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this report is for educational and general information purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute advice nor does it constitute an offering of securities or any advertisement for the offering of securities. You should not act or rely on the information without seeking professional advice. While we believe the information to be reliable [and endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct], we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, timeliness, suitability or availability with respect to the report or the information, products, services or related graphics contained in the report for any purpose. The RIA does not endorse, recommend or guarantee any investment products listed in the report.

 

April 8, 2020 

Dear RIA Members and Colleagues:

Our lives have changed dramatically in the last few weeks. A month ago, most of us had never heard of ‘physical distancing’ or ‘flattening the curve’ – both of which are now part of our daily vocabulary. Our offices and our children’s schools are now closed, and there are certainly no business conferences taking place.

Against that backdrop, we have made the decision to cancel the annual RIA Conference in its regular format. Attendees will receive refunds in the next 10 business days.

But we are resilient, and I do not believe this health crisis should prevent us from having important dialogues about responsible investment and sustainable finance, particularly considering the vital need for a sustainable economic recovery. The Responsible Investment Association is a community of members. And right now, community is more important than ever.

Therefore, we are building a new conference model to bring our community together – the RIA Virtual Conference. This will be a condensed, digital version of the same great content that we have been delivering for years. We are converting 10 key sessions from the regular conference into live webcasts, which will run twice per day from June 8th to 12th. We will also offer a primer on June 5th for advisors who are new to the field.

But these are no ordinary webcasts. Our team has been working around the clock to develop a new conference model, using leading-edge technology to deliver a truly virtual event experience. Attendees can connect with each other via text and video chats, engage with speakers via online polls and audience Q&A, and hear from thought leaders on key issues and trends in the field of ESG and sustainable finance.

The new website and registration will be online next week. We will also send you an invitation via email next week. I hope you will join us.

Although we are saddened that we cannot proceed with the regular conference, we are excited to deliver this new virtual event experience for our members and colleagues, and I look forward to welcoming the RIA community to the opening session on June 8th at 11:00am EDT / 8:00am PDT.

In the meantime, I wish you wellness and, as Erika Karp recently put it, “a renewed sense of hope and determination” that we will get through this. We are all in this together.

Sincerely,

Dustyn Lanz
Chief Executive Officer
Responsible Investment Association

We’re pleased to announce the judges of the 2020 RIA Leadership Awards! The Awards will recognize the outstanding contributions of our members to responsible investment in Canada.

The panel of judges is composed of experts from across the industry including financial advisors, consultants, asset managers, asset owners, journalists, and academics.

Meet the Judges

 
Amr Addas – Professor, John Molson School of Business and the Goodman Institute, Concordia University

Amr Addas is an Adjunct Professor and Director of the Van Berkom Investment Management Program and Van Berkom Small Cap Case Competition at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University. He leads Concordia’s Sustainable Investing Practicum in collaboration with Manulife. Learn More

Alexa Blain – Managing Partner, Deetken Impact

Alexa is co-Founder and Managing Partner of Deetken Impact, which manages and distributes impact investment products to Canadian and global investors. Prior to joining Deetken, Alexa was an executive with African Alliance, a pan-African financial services group and an associate with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Macquarie Group in Toronto. Learn More

Adelaide Chiu – Portfolio Manager, OMERS

Adelaide Chiu is a global equities portfolio manager with the Capital Markets team at OMERS, one of Canada’s largest defined pension plans. In addition to her portfolio management role, Adelaide is a key contributor to the pension’s sustainable investing strategy for Capital Markets. Learn More

Denis Dion – ESG Product Manager, Desjardins Investments

Denis Dion is a responsible investment product manager at Desjardins and therefore leads the development of the SocieTerra funds and portfolios. In addition to monitoring the latest trends in responsible investment, he ensures the performance of the products offered. Learn More

Pablo Fuchs – Globe Advisor Editor, The Globe and Mail

Pablo Fuchs is editor of Globe Advisor at The Globe and Mail, a position he has held since January 2019. He oversees the editorial direction and manages the production of daily content for the Globe’s direct-to-advisor offering. Learn More

Tessa Hebb – Distinguished Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Sprott School of Business and School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University

Dr. Hebb led a ten-year research consortium on Responsible Investing funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Government of Canada. She is the past chair of the steering committee of the UN- backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) Academic Network (2009-2014). Learn More

Sucheta Rajagopal – Portfolio Manager, Mackie Research Capital Corp.

Sucheta Rajagopal has been involved in Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) for over 20 years, advising clients on how to integrate environmental, social and corporate governance issues into their investment portfolios. Learn More

Mark Sevestre – President, National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association

In 2006, Mark became one of three founding members of the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association. Serving in several roles, including Board Member, Committee Chairman and President, Mark is currently serving as Founder and Senior Advisor to NATOA. Learn More

Melissa Shin – Editorial Director, Advisor’s Edge and Investment Executive

Melissa Shin is the Editorial Director at Advisor’s Edge and Investment Executive with Newcom Media Inc. As an award-winning journalist and the editorial director of four national financial services publications, Melissa turns technical subject matter into accessible content for sophisticated audiences. Learn More

Mritunjay Sinha – Director of Finance & Investment, The Catherine Donnelly Foundation

A social entrepreneur-operator and an investor, MJ helped build a multi-million-dollar micro-loan portfolio in rural India and helped create a co-operative that served over 200 entrepreneurs. For the last few years MJ has been working in impact investing. He started with Grand Challenges Canada. Learn More

Rosalie Vendette – Sustainable Finance Expert, Independent Consultant

Rosalie Vendette is a sustainable finance expert with more than 16 years of experience. She has developed a breath of knowledge from the various positions she held over the years at Desjardins Group and Groupe investissement responsable (GIR) and initiatives she managed for the responsible investment community. Learn More

Stephen Whipp – Director of Responsible Asset Management, Leede Jones Gable Inc.

Stephen Whipp is an activist and a passionate guy. He believes that individuals working together really can change the world for the better. With a background in journalism and non-profit management that includes aboriginal governance, and more than 20 years as a successful investment advisor, Steve brings a potent combination of experience, knowledge and connections to the table. Learn More

March 10, 2020 

Dear RIA Members, Sponsors, and Colleagues:

We are watching the COVID-19 aka “coronavirus” situation very closely, particularly with respect to our events including the annual RIA Conference which is scheduled for June 8th and 9th in Toronto.

A lot can happen in 90 days, so we are taking steps to prepare for a number of scenarios. For example, the virus could stabilize in Canada, or it could escalate and decline between now and June, leaving Toronto in a situation that is similar to where it stands today – a place of low risk according to public health authorities. If public health officials deem the risk to be low at the time of our conference, we will plan to continue with the event while taking steps to promote public health such as providing packaged foods, boxed water, and hand sanitizer stations throughout the venue.

But there is also a chance that the virus could escalate to a high-risk situation in early June, leading to a travel advisory or a government-issued warning against large meetings in Toronto. If policy signals, such as these, indicate that it would be unsafe or inadvisable to hold the RIA Conference as planned, then we would cancel the event and issue refunds to attendees. We would also give sponsors the option to receive a refund or carry-over their sponsorships to 2021.

The health and safety of our staff and event attendees is a top priority. We are assessing all of our scheduled events on a case-by-case basis using the most current and reliable and information. For now, the risk remains low so we will continue to plan our conference. We will provide updates as the situation evolves.

Sincerely,

Dustyn Lanz
Chief Executive Officer,
Responsible Investment Association