| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.07 |
| Liaison | Julien-Pierre Lacombe |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2022 |
École de Technologie Supérieure
PA-10: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Suzanne
Bélanger Directrice Service aux diplômés et à la philanthropie |
Total value of the investment pool:
Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
| Value of holdings | |
| Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) | 537,246 US/Canadian $ |
| Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g., using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) | 6,922,866 US/Canadian $ |
| Sustainability investment funds (e.g., a renewable energy or impact investment fund) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) | 2,021,008.16 US/Canadian $ |
| Green revolving funds funded from the endowment | 808 US/Canadian $ |
A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
The majority of ÉTS's investments are handled by the investment firm Fiera. These investments are divided among several different funds (short-term, bonds, global agriculture, real estate, fossil fuel free, U.S. equities, ethical international equities, ...).
The value of holdings assigned to each category was done using the following methodologies :
• Sustainable Industries: investments related to renewable energy which mostly include issuers related to hydro-electricity or other clean sources of energy, such as: Brookfield Renewable, Hydro One, Hydro-Quebec and Ontario Hydro. In addition, the amount also include a significant allocation (37%) of the Fiera Infrastructure Fund that is invested in assets related to renewable energy (wind farms) as well as waste-to energy.
• Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance: Based on MSCI ESG Ratings, companies that fall within the 1st or 2nd quartiles of their respective industry in terms of ESG ratings
• Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens: the value assigned to this category corresponds to the total AUM invested in Funds managed by Fiera Capital that employ negative screens in addition to ESG integration. This includes our units of the Fiera Canadian Ethical FFF Equity Fund and Fiera International Ethical Equity Fund.
• Green revolving funds: Investments made in labelled green bonds.
Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
The sustainable investment policy:
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:
n/a
Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
Article 3.2 of the Investment Policy of the ÉTS of the ÉTS Development Fund (Politique de placement du Fonds de développement de l'ÉTS):
3.2 PRINCIPLE OF SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT - No securities will be purchased from companies
from companies whose revenues are mainly derived from fossil fuels.
Please refer to the investment policy linked in the Opptional Fields of this credit.
Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
ÉTS shares data with the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) on fund investment (Benchmarking).
ÉTS is present at the table of concertation of the network of Quebec universities (UQ), represented by Ms. Suzanne Bélanger and exchanges on best practices in responsible investment.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
ÉTS's lead management firm, Fiera Capital, is recognized for its commitment to responsible investing. This article from La Presse newspaper attests to the relevance and quality of Fiera's investments. In addition, the firm presents their responsible investment policy on their website. The links are as follows:
La Presse article:
https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/chroniques/2022-02-27/bilan-des-firmes-de-gestion/vos-placements-polluent-autant-qu-un-vus.php
Fiera's Responsible Investment Policy:
https://www.fieracapital.com/wp-content/uploads/page/904/politique-investissement-responsable_0.pdf
ÉTS's lead management firm, Fiera Capital, is recognized for its commitment to responsible investing. This article from La Presse newspaper attests to the relevance and quality of Fiera's investments. In addition, the firm presents their responsible investment policy on their website. The links are as follows:
La Presse article:
https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/chroniques/2022-02-27/bilan-des-firmes-de-gestion/vos-placements-polluent-autant-qu-un-vus.php
Fiera's Responsible Investment Policy:
https://www.fieracapital.com/wp-content/uploads/page/904/politique-investissement-responsable_0.pdf
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.