Benefits and Pensions Monitor: New ESG Horizons and the Journey of our Lifetime to Zero
August was an unusually busy month at BentallGreenOak’s (BGO) downtown Toronto office as the firm prepared its first trial runs for the return to workplace protocols it had spent the better part of the year honing. As many employees eagerly returned to more familiar work settings, COVID was surprisingly not what was front and centre on their minds. A never-ending cycle of news stories on climate change, environmental distress, and social unrest over the past 18 months had stimulated significant cultural introspection at the firm, and a welcome wave of employee-led activist energy that staff were eager to put into practice in a live setting. And in perhaps the boldest step on ESG that the firm has taken in its 100+ year history, BGO announced its commitment to pursue Net Zero carbon emissions for the entirety of its global assets under management by 2050 or sooner. To better understand the drivers behind these firm-wide actions, three BGO leaders in Canada each shared their unique perspective and the urgency behind their intentions:
