Responsible Investment Research and Tool Development

The Columbia Institute supports research and tool development providing practical resources for investment decision-makers to implement responsible investment practices. For example, every year the Columbia Institute provides support to the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) to develop Model Proxy Voting Guidelines. These guidelines provide a template for pension plans and other institutional investors that want to incorporate comprehensive provisions on a wide range of responsible investment issues such as human rights, climate change and executive compensation.

In addition, every year the Columbia Institute conducts surveys on how Canada’s top investment managers and mutual fund families voted on key proxy voting issues. The results of these surveys are important to both pension plan trustees as well as mutual fund unit holders because they indicate significant differences in how investment managers and mutual funds vote proxies on specific issues.  Download the most recent Key Proxy Vote Survey here or the Report on Proxy Voting by Canadian Mutual Funds here.

The Columbia Institute has created a Responsible Investment Toolkit filled with practical, accessible information for pension plans, foundations and endowments on how to implement responsible investment policies and practices.

 

FEATURE RESEARCH INITIATIVE: RESPONSIBLE PROPERTY INVESTING AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT: EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF GOOD LABOUR PRACTICES ON PROPERTY PERFORMANCE

This paper explores the labour and human capital aspects of responsible real estate. The study explores the impact of fair labour practices on property performance, and assesses the applicability of responsible contractor policies (RCPs) in the Canadian property industry by exploring the use of such policies by real estate investors and managers in the United States.