Atkinson Field Notes

Learning in Action

News, presentations and reflections from Atkinson’s Chief Executive Officer Colette Murphy and the rest of the Atkinson team.


4 Mar 22
It’s been exactly 152 days since Canada marked its first National Truth and Reconciliation Day. I’m among those who experienced the ringing of the opening bell by Tabatha Bull at the Toronto Stock Exchange as a sign of real progress. But I am also among those who want to use our investor power to make sure history does not record it as yet another symbolic gesture. Read more >
12 May 21
Together with our collaborators, we brought forward a bold proposal on Indigenous reconciliation and economic advancement to the TMX Group. It’s a move that is expected to “ripple” through capital markets in North America. Read more >
1 May 21
This pandemic continues to distort our sense of time. Scientists call it “temporal disintegration”. A feeling of living in the moment, day to day, unmoored from the past and unable to imagine the future. But also a feeling of living large, emboldened to act with moral purpose in the here and now. Read more >
18 Dec 20
2020 has been a year like no other in memory. Decent work activists and advocates have taken centre stage with hard-hitting campaigns for paid sick days, child care, employment insurance, and other income supports for essential workers and their families. Migrant workers Luis Gabriel Flores Flores, Blanca Islas Perez and many others have said: “This is enough... Read more >
13 Jul 20
Essential workers and their families continue to bear the brunt of COVID-19 for little more than our gratitude. It should be no surprise that these workers are mostly Black, Indigenous and people of colour. Read more >
11 Jun 20
With the support of Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), Atkinson's Executive Director Colette Murphy filed a Restaurant Brands International (RBI) shareholder proposal on decent work practices at the company's annual general meeting on June 10, 2020. Read more >
22 Apr 20
I really appreciate this invitation from the Canadian Capital Stewardship Network to participate in this conversation. What we have in common is a commitment to investing workers’ capital in ways that uphold their rights  and the interests of their families and their communities. Read more >
21 Feb 20
Twenty years of shareholder research and education. Twenty years of building an organization known world-wide as SHARE, an acronym that communicates a timeless and urgent mission with uncommon simplicity. Twenty years of doing one’s duty -- demonstrating what prudence, loyalty and care look like when investing in a sustainable, inclusive and productive economy. Read more >
20 Feb 20
I’m in Vancouver today to attend the SHARE Investor Summit with my co-worker Jenn Miller. Atkinson has been a SHARE supporter from the start -- 20 years ago. It continues to be a priority to use our investor and shareholder power to help maximize public and private return on investments. Read more >
25 Apr 17
“What about the other 96.5%?” is a question preoccupying many foundations here in Canada and elsewhere. This is the amount of capital that foundations generally do not grant out to their charitable partners each year. Read more >
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