Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy The Star

Guest: Vanessa Gray
Much of what’s written critically about the fossil fuel industry focuses on the effects of climate change, but there are significant human rights and human health costs as well that don’t get as much coverage. And the effects of the industry on Indigenous communities receive even less attention.
Vanessa Gray is the divestment campaign coordinator with Indigenous Climate Action. Growing up on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sarnia, Ontario’s “Chemical Valley,” Gray witnessed first hand the serious effects unchecked industry can have on people’s well-being, so much so that she built an app which allows members of her community to track the nearby polluting companies and even trace health symptoms back to specific chemicals these companies were using or manufacturing.
On this episode of ‘Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy,’Gray speaks with host Tim Nash about the push to divest from fossil fuels and the importance of reinvesting toward climate solutions.
More information about “Chemical Valley” can be found here, and the Aamjiwnaang struggle here.

Guest: Avery Francis
What do the terms "diversity," "equity" and "inclusion" (DEI) mean in a practical sense, and how can investors ensure that companies aren't simply ticking the box to earn points for a better environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score?
“Work should work for everyone,” says Avery Francis. She is the founder and CEO of Bloom, a Toronto-based consulting firm that helps companies implement changes to improve productivity by making their workplaces more accommodating to all their staff.
On this episode of ‘Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy,’ she talks with host Tim Nash about the “diversity debt,” and what workers can do if they want to find a job that better aligns with their values.
Francis is also the host of Girlboss Radio.

Guest: Andria Barrett
Canada's institutional banking system has been traditionally difficult to navigate for new immigrants to the country, leading many to utilize an informal, women-led savings collective based on the principle of mutual aid.
Known as a "partner" in Jamaican culture, a "susu" in the Ghanaian community or a "hagbad" in Somali, a rotating savings and credit association (ROSCA) fosters a sense of community in many immigrant groups and opens doors to funding frequently not available elsewhere.
In this episode of “Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy,” host Tim Nash speaks with Andria Barrett, a consultant and speaker at The Diversity Agency, and former president of the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce, about how ROSCAs work and why they're spreading beyond immigrant networks. More information at The ROSCA Federation.

Guests: Chandra Ramadurai and Tim Stoate
According to a recent study, the transportation sector worldwide is responsible for approximately 16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while building and infrastructure account for 21 percent. Why then, does transportation receive 61 percent of all investment funding aimed at making it greener, while building and infrastructure receive only four percent? Is this an overlooked opportunity?
Enter Chandra Ramadurai and Tim Stoate, the CEO and Vice President of Development respectively of Efficiency Capital, a spin-off from The Atmospheric Fund. In this episode of “Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy,” they talk to host Tim Nash about how they've turned financing greener building initiatives into economic success.

Guest: Anshula Chowdhury
As more and more Canadians enter the sustainable investment realm, the most common question is, "How do I know my investments are having a net positive benefit?"
This is where analysts like Anshula Chowdhury, CEO of Sametrica come in. In this episode of 'Responsible Investing for a Sustainable Economy,' Chowdhury and host Tim Nash dig deep into how to accurately measure the massive growth in sustainable investing and social finance — including how AI figures in.

Guest: Victor Beausoleil
When Victor Beausoleil  was growing up, his mother was instrumental in organizing the finances in the expatriate Saint Lucien community in Toronto. Today, as the executive director — or "steward" — of Social Economy Through Social Inclusion,  Beausoleil applies the same collective principles to help ensure diverse representation in the social finance ecosystem.