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.

Samuel Acheampong (RIS)
Merième Ait Mbarek (RIS), Desjardins
Amare Andualem (RIS), Conexus Credit Union
Grant Atwood (RIS), Talisman Investment Planning
Mike Bailey (RIS), Edward Jones
Helene Bouchard (RIS), Desjardins
Michael Brady (RIS), Desjardins
Steven Brar (RIS), Aldergrove Financial Planning
Kathy Brousseau (RIS), Desjardins
Diane Burns (RIS), Assante
Candace Champion (RIS), Credential Financial Strategies
Samuel Choi (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Andrew Cioccio (RIS)
Lauren Connell (RIS), Thrive Wealth Management
Kathleen Couillard (RIS), UNI Coopération financière
Robin Desnoyers (RIS), OCTANT GESTION DE PATRIMOINE INC
Francine Dick (RIS), Carte Risk Management Inc.
Isabelle Dion (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Brook Dyson (RIS)
Dallas Ferro (RIS), ADVICO
Patrick Garant-Pelletier (RIS), Biome Finances Durables
Natalie Grignon (RIAC), Laurentian Bank Securities
Annie Groleau (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Mathieu Guay (RIS), Investia Services Financiers
Ilies Hassani (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Hussian Hassin (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
André Idrissa Lam (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Ching Yun Ivan Chen (RIS), Ivan Chen Financial Planner
Tom Kelly (RIS), Manulife Securities Incorporated
Fernand Lalonde (RIS), Estar Gestion Privée Inc.
Véronique Lavoie (RIS), Desjardins
Julien Lavoie (RIS), Julien Lavoie Conseiller Financier
Geneviève Lavoie (RIS), Desjardins
Martin Lelièvre (RIS), Desjardins
Matthew Lesulauro (RIS)
Ana Ligia Malavazi (RIS), Edward Jones
David Luke (RIAC), 360 Private Wealth Management
Vanessa Marcoux-Nadeau (RIS), Desjardins
Rob Martin (RIS), Libro Credit Union
Gabriel Mc Cann (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Carla Mesquita (RIS), Desjardins
Mario Mota (RIS), The Steele Group
Firouz Nikpour-Naini (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Audrey-Sokunthevy Nut (RIS), Fondaction
Gaétan Pascal (RIS), Pascal Services Financiers
Amit Patel (RIS), Conexus Credit Union
Mandy Peters (RIS), Synergy Credit Union
Stéphanie Poulin (RIS)
Mélanie Poupart (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Jean-Francois Rancourt (RIS), Desjardins
Thomas Rathonyi (RIS), PenFinancial Credit Union
Nathalie Roux (RIS)
Marie-Josée Roy (RIS), SENS RL
Baba Sakho Sy (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Judith Sanche (RIS), Valeurs mobilières Peak
Andrew Stadnicki (RIS), Desjardins
Cliff Steele (RIS), The Steele Group
Glenn Sutherland (RIS)
Gleb Troubetskoi (RIAC), HollisWealth
Brad Unraw (RIS), Sun Life Financial
Mitch Vandemark (RIS), Rubbix Inc
Reid Vandolder (RIS)
Danielle Venne (RIS), Desjardins
Enoch Weng (RIS), Freedom 55 Financial
Jeffrey Yopyk (RIS), FBC Financial and Estate Planning Services

We cordially invite your institution to sign the Canadian Investor Statement on Diversity and Inclusion – a statement that institutional investors can sign to demonstrate their commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in their portfolios and their institutions.

Our founding signatories include:

• Addenda Capital
• AGF Investments
• Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)
• Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)
• Desjardins Group
• Mackenzie Investments
• NEI Investments
• OPSEU Pension Trust (OPTrust)
• University of Toronto Asset Management (UTAM)

How it Works:

• View the statement here.
• Institutional investors that pledge to implement the commitments contained in the statement can sign as Signatories.
• Organizations that work in the investment industry, but are not institutional investors, can sign as Supporting Organizations.

Key Dates:

• A press release will go out on October 1st, including a complete list of institutional investor signatories.
• In order to be included in the press release, signing is required by September 30th at 12:00pm EDT.
• If your institution needs more time, you can still sign after the press release. The statement and full list of Signatories and Supporting Organizations will live permanently on the RIA website.

This is an opportunity for the industry to take an important step forward together, and I hope your institution will join us. Please feel free to share this opportunity with your peers and colleagues – it is not restricted to RIA members.

The RIA would like to thank Alison Schneider, Laura McGee, Michela Gregory, Rosa van den Beemt, and Shannin Metatawabin for helping to draft the statement, and the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals for reviewing and providing comments.<

If you have any questions, please contact membership@riacanada.ca.

August 31, 2020

Dear RIA Members and Colleagues:

The tragic killing of George Floyd marked a tipping point for racial injustice, sparking public outrage and protests that continue to this day as brutality and discrimination persist. We are experiencing a racial injustice reckoning that is prompting new dialogues about the need for education on allyship, antiracism, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

This summer, there was a large spike in Google searches for “how to be an ally” and similar phrases as many non-racialized people stepped up their efforts to educate themselves. After I made a public statement about my own self-education, an RIA member, who is Black, told me that “most Black people are dealing with an open wound right now that never heals.”

In my experience, conversations like this typically did not happen among professional colleagues prior to this year. But 2020 has taught us that these conversations are both necessary and urgent. Communication enables understanding, and understanding is essential for making progress.

Racial inequities exist in all aspects of society, and the business world is no exception. A recent analysis of corporate diversity disclosures under the Canada Business Corporations Act found that visible minorities hold 4.7% of board seats and 7.4% of senior executive positions. However, according to Statistics Canada, visible minorities make up 22.3% of the Canadian population while Indigenous people account for an additional 4.9%. The data clearly show that Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour are vastly underrepresented in corporate leadership.

Following a discussion with our board of directors in July, it became clear that the RIA is uniquely positioned to play a role in promoting education and dialogues about diversity and inclusion – not only in our portfolios, but also within our own institutions.

That is why, this year, we have converted RI Week into D&I Week – a week of dialogues and education for investment professionals to advance diversity and inclusion in their organizations and their portfolios. We are partnering with leading experts and nonprofit organizations to deliver the biggest (virtual) event of the year on diversity & inclusion in Canada’s investment industry. This will run as a series of 10 live webcasts with D&I thought leaders during the week of October 26-30th. Registration will open on September 9th, at which time we will also announce our keynote speakers. To elevate our impact, 20% of revenue from ticket sales will be donated to the Black Opportunity Fund. Details will land in your inbox on September 9th.

In addition, we are developing a Canadian Investor Statement on Diversity and Inclusion – a statement that institutional investors can sign to demonstrate their commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in their portfolios and within their institutions. On September 10th, we will circulate the statement and invite all institutional investors to become signatories. Investors will have 3 weeks to sign on before the statement is publicized on October 1st.

Furthermore, we are conducting market research to understand Canadian retail investor perspectives on diversity and inclusion in their portfolios, which will provide valuable insights for advisors and fund managers. This is part of our annual RIA Investor Opinion Survey, which will be released in late October.

As I wrote in a recent column, now is a moment for action. I invite your support and participation as we strive to advance diversity and inclusion in Canada’s investment industry. Watch your inbox for major announcements in the days and weeks ahead.

Sincerely,

Dustyn Lanz
Chief Executive Officer
Responsible Investment Association

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.

Chansa Arhunmwunde (RIS), Cambrian Credit Union
Kimberly Beaton (RIAC), Scotia Wealth Management
Pierre Benoit (RIS), Desjardins
Jalal Botros (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Gaëtan Bussières (RIS), Mérici
Joe Carino (RIS), Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc.
Charity Elston (RIS), Synergy Credit Union
Letitia Fluit (RIS), Investment Planning Counsel
Bradley Hunter (RIS), Edward Jones
François Jacques (RIS), Financière Banque Nationale Gestion de Patrimoine
Jennifer Johnston (RIS), PenFinancial Credit Union
Sandra Kamstra (RIS), Aviso
Debola Kay (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Olivier Lacoste (RIS), Desjardins
Dan Lambert (RIS), Caldwell Wealth & Estate Advisory Ltd.
Louis Larose-Beaudoin (RIS), Desjardins
Richard Lochhead (RIS)
Robert Martel (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
S. Michele Meier (RIS), Paula Meier Associates
Fatou Niasse (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Tom Nind (RIS), CIBC Wood Gundy
Olamide Olowu (RIS)
Mathieu Pelletier (RIS), Desjardins
Gregory Perteet (RIS)
Jennifer Rankin (RIS), Assante Wealth Management
Victoria Rempel (RIS), Investia Financial Services Inc.
Rod Rieu (RIS), Interior Savings
Scott Ross (RIS), Servus Credit Union
Étienne Roy (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Béatrice Roy (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Helder Sousa (RIS), Entegra
Michelle St. Arnault (RIS), Gonzales Bay Financial Services Inc
Kimberly Tachan (RIS), Crosstown Civic Credit Union
Kevin Tillberg (RIS), Credential Financial Strategies Inc.
Andrew Tymkiv (RIS)
Judy Vanden Bos (RIS), Garnet Financial Services
Ngoc-Nam Vu (RIS), Gestion FÉRIQUE
Reynold Wu (RIS)
Steven Wyngaert (RIS), Manulife Securities Incorporated
Howard Yancovitch (RIS)

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.