Exactly 30 business days after the meeting between TRU and the pro-Palestinian activist group the People’s University of Gaza at TRU, the university published its investment statements online.
On June 14, TRU issued a news release on its website informing the public it was immediately publishing the university’s investment statements online, albeit with some redactions removing some information for privacy reasons.
In a statement on the group’s Instagram page, the group praised the university for honouring their agreement.
“We have received a response from TRU to our FOI requesting disclosure of investments. Our next step is to work with our divestment team, comprised of allied faculty and finance professionals to create a divestment proposal we plan to present to TRU. We commend TRU for making their disclosure available to the public,” the post reads.
“As a public institution, everyone has a right to know this information. We have added the disclosure document to our link in [the] bio. If anyone reviews the document and has something they would like to bring to our attention, please email us at trubds@duck.com. Onward to a Free Palestine!”
In May, the group met with university officials to discuss a series of demands they had for TRU relating to any potential financial dealings that the university might have with Israel or companies with ties to Israel. The release of TRU’s investment information was the first of the group’s demands.
According to TRU’s statement, Matt Milovick, TRU vice-president of finance and administration, called the release of the investment information “an essential step to demonstrate transparency regarding investments,” adding, “TRU has long been committed to socially responsible investing guided by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).”
The release of the financial documents will not be a one-time event. Milovick said the investment webpage would be updated annually “so that interested parties can follow and track investments over time.”
Following a student-led call for divestment from oil and fossil fuels in 2015, TRU announced changes to its investment strategy and pledged to follow the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), an initiative supported by the United Nations.