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Introduction
Wilfrid Laurier University believes in responsible investing. In 2016/17, the university administration and the Board of Governors conducted a comprehensive review of the Board’s existing policies, including ESG statements, related to pension and endowment funds.
In 2016, The Responsible Investment Working Group (RIWG) was established by the Board to make a recommendation on whether and how to revise existing investment policies and procedures for university-managed investment funds. In 2017, the RIWG completed its review and has concluded that the university take the following actions:
- Enhance environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk-management strategies.
- Develop a responsible investment annual report.
- Develop a fossil free/impact investing endowment fund.
- Seek out and create collaborative relationships with other institutions to advance responsible investing/ESG strategies.
- Continue to support research into the effects of climate change, the sustainability of ecosystems and ESG-related issues.
- Continue to implement strategies to reduce carbon emissions on campus and promote the principles of sustainability.
The Board of Governors approved the RIWG’s recommendations, on the recommendation of the Joint Finance and Investments and Pension Committees, on Nov. 30, 2017.
Based on the recommendations of the RIWG, further actions and reports will be brought forward to the committees and the Board of Governors. As these reports are produced they will be available on this webpage as a repository for those wishing to review them.
As a result of the committees’ and Board’s approval of the RIWG’s recommendations, the working group was dissolved as it fulfilled its mandate.
Update: June 2024
In June 2024, Laurier enhanced its responsible investing practices with the move to disclose, on an annual basis, its investments, where applicable, to the holdings level.
This change in reporting was approved by the Board of Governors Executive Committee, on behalf of the Board. A detailed list of investment holdings as of March 31, 2024 is now available. Moving forward, the holdings will be shared annually as an appendix to the Annual Responsible Investing Report.
Annual Responsible Investing Reports
The Report of the Responsible Investment Working Group included recommendations, one of which was the development of a responsible investment annual report. Staff have provided a report each year which speaks to progress on those original recommendations; metrics; work with investment managers; and other related matters.
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