Understanding UTAM’s investments in light of O4P’s divestment report

 

The Varsity looked into encampment protesters’ divestment requests toward U of T

A May 2024 report issued by the student activist group U of T Occupy for Palestine (O4P) claims that the university is indirectly investing billions of dollars in companies that are profiting from Israel’s military operations in Gaza. 

O4P, the student group behind the occupation of Simcoe Hall and the encampment on King’s College Circle, has been calling on U of T to disclose and divest all of its investments in companies contributing to Israel’s military aggression in Gaza. This includes arms manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, and surveillance technology developers. 

Here is a breakdown of what O4P’s calls for U of T to “disclose and divest” means for the university.

U of T created the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM) in 2000 to manage the investment of U of T’s endowment, its expendable funds investment pool (EFIP), and — up until 2021 — its pension fund. The endowment consists of money donors give to the university, while the EFIP consists of the university’s “cash for operations, capital projects, [and] ancillary operations.”  (more...)

Understanding UTAM’s investments in light of O4P’s divestment report