Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.46
Liaison Brandon Raco
Submission Date Sept. 2, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Guelph
PA-10: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 3.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Positive sustainability investment

Total value of the investment pool:
408,000,000 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 0 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g., using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 0 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) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving funds funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
Data not available

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
0

Part 2. Investor engagement

Sustainable investment policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
---

None
The sustainable investment policy:
- The primary purpose of the endowment portfolio is to invest capital to provide annual income that will grow with inflation.
- Endowment capital is invested for long periods, often expressed as “in perpetuity” meaning short term returns need not outweigh long term performance.
- The generation of long‐term, sustainable investment returns is inextricably linked to stability in social, environmental and economic systems. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change are important guides for future economic development and financial systems.
- The University, through its endowment fund, should promote awareness of the importance of transitioning the economy in line with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement (the central aim of which is keeping a global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre‐industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius). Stewardship (which includes proxy voting, corporate engagement and policy advocacy) is an important tool for the endowment fund to influence companies and policy makers in support of a low‐carbon, resilient and inclusive world.
- The University should play an active role in advancing responsible investing within the investment industry, and amongst universities in particular.

None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
No

A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:
---

Proxy voting 

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?:
No

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---

None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
---

Shareholder resolutions 

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?:
No

Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
---

Divestment efforts and negative screens

Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
Yes

A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
The University has an ongoing commitment to long-term carbon reduction
targets and to its environmental social governance guidelines, which are embedded in the Board’s statement of investment beliefs that guide investment policies and practices. The Board of Governors approved that the University of Guelph commit to divestment from the ownership of fossil fuels within the Endowment Portfolio Investment Fund over a five-year period beginning April 22nd, 2020. Ownership of fossil fuels is defined as the ownership of companies which hold fossil fuels reserves.

Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
100

Investor networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
https://www.queensu.ca/investmentservices/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.iswww/files/files/Investing_to_Address_Climate_Change_18_June_2020.pdf

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
https://www.uoguelph.ca/finance/policies-procedures/treasury-operationsinvestment-management-policies-and-procedures/statement

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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