Shaping the future of sustainable finance
Subscribe to our NewsletterThe Institute for Sustainable Finance is a multi-disciplinary network of research and professional development that brings together academia, the private sector, and government to shape Canada’s innovations in sustainable finance.
Sustainable Investing - Virtual Program
Learn sustainable investing strategies that are transforming finance.
This program will provide the key components and considerations for sustainable investing and ESG assessment, including deeper dives into integrating ESG into securities selection and portfolio management processes, and best practices for stewardship and engagement.
Are investors liking corporate Canada’s ESG tweets?
New ISF research finds a mismatch between firms’ positive ESG messaging on social media, their environmental performance, and their cost of capital. Investors may be tuning them out.
Understanding Voluntary Carbon Markets, Part 2
Who’s buying carbon offsets, and why? And what kinds of projects are they supporting? A new study analyses Canadian and global corporate buyers’ use of voluntary carbon credits and implications for financial accounting and sustainability disclosures.
Canadian sustainable bond market report
A new ISF study examines a decade of issuances of some of the most important instruments for financing positive environmental and social outcomes, and prospects for the future of sustainable investing.
What is Sustainable Finance?
The Canadian Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance defines it as: capital flows, risk management activities, and financial processes that assimilate environmental and social factors as a means of promoting sustainable economic growth and the long-term sustainability of the financial system.
In its simplest form, this means aligning our financial systems and services to promote long-term environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. Learn more about Sustainable Finance through our Primer Series.
Ryan Riordan, Distinguished Professor of Finance at Smith School of Business and director of research at the Institute for Sustainable Finance explains sustainable finance.
Newsblog
March 21, 2025
Set electrons free: Bruce Lourie in The Globe and Mail
"U.S. President Donald Trump’s mercurial tariff ultimatums and territorial designs on Canada just may be the shock therapy our leaders need to awaken from a homegrown threat: our national electricity planning stupor," writes Bruce Lourie in The Globe and Mail. "Ever since the first power lines were laid, Canada has generated and delivered electricity within a collection of provincial fiefdoms, each jealously guarding its constitutional jurisdiction over electricity at the expense of smart planning – and energy affordability – for Canadians."
March 18, 2025
Sustainable Finance Forum report and video highlights
The final report of the 2024 Sustainable Finance Forum is now available, along with video of keynote addresses and photos highlighting two days in Ottawa filled with inspiring presentations, fruitful networking opportunities and practical collaborations for meeting Canada's and the world's biggest challenges.