Why Choose One

The One Investment Program is a pooled investment program designed specifically for municipalities and the broader Ontario public sector. The program operates by pooling investment funds from a number of participating organizations in one of four available investment portfolios (Money Market, Bond, Corporate Bond, and Equity), with each portfolio managed by a professional porrfolio manager.

The total size of the One Investment Program allows all fixed program costs (i.e. legal, accounting, reporting, etc), as well as transaction related costs to be spread over a much larger base, resulting in lower program administration costs for each and every program investor.

Through One, all municipal and other public sector investors also receive many other advantages not typically available to them should they choose to operate an independent investment portfolio, including:

• Guaranteed compliance with all municipal investment regulations
• Access to investment types that are unavailable to individual municipalities (per the Eligible Investments Regulation)
  • longer-term corporate bonds
  • Canadian equities
• Competitive returns
  • Net of investment management fees
  • Net of custodial/record keeping expenses
  • Net of administrative fees
• Enhanced returns from economies of scale purchases and active investment strategies
• Oversight by municipal finance officials, administrators, and elected officials from both large and small Ontario municipalities
  • One Advisory Committee
  • MFOA/CHUMS Board of Directors and LAS Board of Directors
• Professional investment management and program level legal advice
• Reduced risk through:
  • Investment diversification
  • Program oversight
  • Technical expertise from independent third party consultant
• Investment Flexibility and Liquidity
  • Quick and easy investment and redemption process
  • No minimum investment term
• Professional accounting and reporting of all investment activity
• Access to investor account information and balances via a protected website
• Account balances updated and posted daily
• Monthly Statements
  
  
  

One also retains the services of an independent investment consultant (S. Kelly Rodgers, CFA) who periodically reviews the performance of our program and portfolio managers to ensure that One continues to provide a valuable service to the Ontario public sector. In her spring 2009 report (for the period of 2007-2008) Ms. Rodgers noted:

• One has consistently outperformed other Canadian public sector funds (for comparable asset classes) over the time period analyzed.
• The One Investment Program’s fee structure is competitive with other available Canadian public sector options, although One operates within an environment of significant restrictions related to eligible investments.
• Both Portfolio Managers (McLean Budden and Guardian) performed in a capable and effective manner, especially given the investment constraints in the investment regulation and portfolio guidelines.