Vancouver, B.C.
The Power of Many
The 2023 Summit brought together institutional investors including pension funds, foundations, universities, Indigenous trusts, faith-based groups and asset managers. Together, we collaborated on solutions to address the critical environmental, social and governance challenges facing capital markets.
Day 1
In our opening plenary and keynote, acclaimed author and professor, Thomas Homer-Dixon, drew on his most recent book, Commanding Hope, to share a vision for a reinvigorated idea of hope and its crucial role in creating systemic, positive change.
The keyone’s call to action grounded our conversations for the next two days: humanity’s situation is unprecedented, but our capacity is unprecedented as well. We are hyper-connected, we have abundant scientific knowledge, and we have an awareness of our common, inescapable fate—we must command hope to find solutions that are both feasible and enough.
Our opening plenary was followed by a leadership panel with:
- Liban Abokor, Managing Director, Reimagine LABS
- Barbara Zvan, President and Chief Executive Officer, University Pension Plan Ontario (UPP)
- Carol Anne Hilton, CEO and Founder, Indigenomics Institute and the Global Center of Indigenomics
- Shannon Rohan, Chief Strategy Officer, SHARE
Each leader spoke to their theories of change as they relate to collective solutions and facilitating economic equality.
“We’re not only investing in social change, we’re investing in the financial infrastructure that is the Indigenous economy.”
Carol Anne Hilton, CEO and Founder of Indigenomics Institute
The day continued with collaborative panels and sessions on:
- Investors for affordable cities
- The investor case for Freedom of Association (FOA) and collective bargaining
- Driving responsibility and innovation in the mining sector
- Investors for racial equity
- Leadership development for trustees and investment committee members
Each session provided a breakdown of these important topics, and included a panel and audience discussion on next steps forward. For more information on our work on workers’ rights, housing, and racial equity, visit our Impact pages.
Affordable Housing
Housing affordability is a crisis exacerbating economic inequality in Canada. SHARE is bringing together investors to address the risks of housing investments associated with evictions and tenant displacement.
Read MoreDecent Work
SHARE’s decent work program encourages a dialogue between shareholders and companies about the link between decent work practices and long-term value
Read MoreReconciliation
SHARE works with Indigenous and non-Indigenous investors to amplify voices in support of truth and reconciliation in business and responsible investing.
Read MoreOur closing plenary was on “Our Economic Future” and included a discussion on pension and corporate policy law changes, as well as new inflation-fighting measures and the next steps in competition law evolution.
The panel included speakers:
- Armine Yalnizyan, Economist, Writer and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers
- Robin Shaban, Co-founder of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project (CAMP),
- Murray Gold, Senior Partner, Koskie Minsky LLP
Explore the below resources to learn more about how and why pension and investment leaders need to understand what’s changed, the reality behind these and other shifts, and what it all means for our economic and social future.
The Price We Pay: Workers’ Rights and Inflation, Atkinson Foundation
Leveraging Competition Law to Promote Inclusive Growth in Canada, Smart Prosperity Institute
An intersectional analysis of retirement income and savings in Canada, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Closing Ceremony
Celebrating Raven Indigenous Capital Partners Fund II
We concluded Day 1 in celebration with our peers at Raven Indigenous Capital Partners. This year, Raven closed a historic $100M Indigenous venture capital fund to support Indigenous and Native American entrepreneurs. This fund will address the critical gaps in the Indigenous finance ecosystem and provide a culturally grounded approach to investing.
Day 2
Our second day was kicked off with a plenary on Economic Reconciliation in Action. Joined by Paul Lacerte of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Sxwpilemaát Siyám, Chief Leanne Joe Hereditary Chief of Squamish Nation, Mark Sevestre of NATOA and Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation Community Trust, and Leslee White-Eye of Chippewa’s Thunderbird Trust, the panel led a conversation on how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous investors can authentically show up for reconcilation and racial justice.
Learn more about investor actions for reconcilation through the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Initiative (RRII).
Every year, we are happy to present a series of networking caucuses for likeminded investors to meet their peers from different organizations and communities. This year, we hosted three networking caucuses bringing together trustees and investment committee members; endowment managers including universities, foundations, religious institutions and Indigenous trusts; and asset managers, consultants and service providers.
Day 2 finished with a closing plenary on engaging for systems change. The panel discussed opportunities for impact when using shareholder engagement as a tool for social and environmental change. Building an engagement program around systemic issues requires the right focus, the right strategy, and the right people or institutions. When looking to engage, investors should ask: “why should shareholders be involved?”, “can we realistically effect a change?”, and “do we have the right parties at the table?” Panelists included:
- Bridget Schrempf, Associate Director of Impact, CDP North America
- John Howchin, Former Head of the Swedish Ethics Council, and co-creator of the Investor Mining and Tailings Safety Initiative
- Lili-Anna Peresa, President & CEO, the McConnell Foundation
- Kevin Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, SHARE & Co-Chair, Investors for Opioid & Pharmaceutical Accountability
Systemic actions transcend a company’s material risks and focus on market-wide changes.
Save the date for the 2024 Summit!
March 5 to 7, 2024 | Vancouver, B.C.