Pension Pulse

James Bradshaw of the Globe and Mail reports  OMERS aims to add $10-billion in new investment in Canada over five years: The OMERS pension plan is looking to add at least $10-billion in new investments in Canada to its portfolio over the next five years, as chief executive Blake Hutcheson says a push to attract more capital to Canadian projects is starting to show results. The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System has about 18 per cent of its $145-billion portfolio invested in Canada – about $26-billion. Over the next five years, Mr. Hutcheson aims to increase that share to 25 per cent, he said in an interview. The investing teams at OMERS are kicking the tires and putting in bids on more assets, especially in infrastructure and real estate, he said. And the fund – the seventh-largest of Canada’s eight biggest pension investors – is gaining confidence that there will be deals worth making in defence as well as in growth capital for Canadian startups. “What’s r...

IPE Real Assets reports independent power producer ILOS secures €450m facility from EIG and La Caisse: ILOS Projects (ILOS) has secured an additional €450m credit facility from infrastructure investor EIG and Canadian investor La Caisse. ILOS Projects said the increased commitment builds on deployment under the initial €250m tranche provided by EIG to support the firm’s target of developing and operating more than 2GW of solar and battery storage capacity across Europe by 2028 . Rob Johnson, managing director at EIG, and president and CIO of EIG credit management, said: “ILOS has built a platform with a clear focus on disciplined development and execution across key European power markets. “The upsizing of this facility reflects the progress the team has made deploying capital under the initial tranche and our continued confidence in ILOS’s strategy, asset base and management team.” Jérôme Marquis, managing director and head of private credit at La Caisse, said:...

 Peter Armstrong of the CBC reports on Carney's pitch to unlock trillions in global investment: CBC News has learned Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited 100 of the world's biggest investors to a summit in Toronto this September. The conference aims to pitch organizations that control trillions of dollars in capital on investing in Canada. The organizations include private investment firms such as Blackrock and some of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds, including Singapore's GIC. Invitations were sent out this week, and none of the invited parties responded to CBC News before publication. The summit is part of a broader effort to draw global investment back to Canada as the world grapples with deeper uncertainty and global volatility. Carney has been meeting with world leaders and private businesses during his trips abroad in an effort to attract more investment to Canada. Part of the pitch is that, amid geopolitical turmoil, trade upheaval and ...

Today, Vestcor released its 2025 results, generating a net return of 8.67%, after all expenses: Vestcor, Atlantic Canada’s largest investment manager, is pleased to present its 2025  Investment Performance Summary report, detailing another year of strong investment performance on behalf of our clients. 2025 saw Vestcor-managed portfolios generate a net return of 8.67%, after all expenses. Assets under management grew by $1.3 billion, reaching $24.4 billion at year-end and adding $165 million in value above investment benchmarks for our clients, after accounting for costs. Equity markets were the main driver of these strong results, with a return of 16.5% over the year. Canadian equities performed especially well, with an overall return of 32.0%. Investing in Canada is an important part of Vestcor’s investment strategies. Across all asset classes, approximately 60% of Vestcor’s assets under management are invested in Canadian companies, fixed-income investments, infras...

Chris Wellisz of Semafor World Economy reports  Norway will keep $1 trillion in US stocks, finance minister says:  Norway’s $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, will continue to invest about half its assets in US equities despite the economic fallout from the Iran war, Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said at Semafor World Economy. “We plan to continue to be a big investor in US companies and to have roughly half of our investments there, because the American stock market is so dynamic and reflects the strength of the US economy,” he said in Washington, DC on Wednesday. “But it makes us of course concerned when we see the consequences of the war in the Middle East, with increased energy prices that can increase inflation and push down growth.” Stoltenberg, a former secretary-general of NATO, said he believed tensions over the US-Israeli war on Iran wouldn’t prompt the US to leave the Atlantic alliance, as President Donald Trump has t...