Get the list here. Download the report here. Download the company list with some data here. Match names to faces on the cover here. Read FAQs about the Best 50 and Top Foreign here. Read the editorial here.

Download the methodology here, which includes all baseline indicators and their definitions.

The Top Foreign Corporate Citizens in Canada methodology, done by RiskMetrics Group, can be found here.

Download an .eps version of the Best 50 logo here.

*The Average Pension Fund Fair Value / Employee for the Oil and Gas sector is so high because Canadian Oil Sands Trust only has 22 employees, but reports its pension value for its stake in Syncrude (which has 4,000 employees). The Average Pension Fund Fair Value / Employee for the sector without Canadian Oil Sands Trust is $142,399.60.

The methodology used to determine the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada
The methodology for the Best 50 Corporate Citizens is based on environment, social and governance indicators found in the public domain. The scoring includes baseline indicators, and sector-specific key performance indicators (KPIs) The baseline indicators are worth 50 per cent of the final score. The KPIs are worth 50 per cent. The ranking for each indicator is based on each company’s sector rank. Where necessary, the most suitable normalizer available was used (throughput, revenues, employees, assets).

There are dozens of KPIs that fall under three categories: environment, social, and governance. For each Corporate Knights Sector, the KPIs account for 50 per cent of a company’s overall score. Information used is for the entire company.

The weightings and full details for the baseline and KPI indicators are available for purchase in the form of Sector-Specific Reports on demand by contacting the Corporate Knights Sales Group at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Baseline indicators
Tax — The company’s average tax gap over the past 3 years / number of employees. Rationale: When a company obtains a break from their tax bill, in effect the State has invested in that company. It is reasonable to expect a return on that investment in the form of increased social welfare, measured in the number of full time jobs sustained by the company.

Pension Quality — The closing fair value of the defined benefit plan / number of employees. Rationale: The extent to which a company provides strong pension benefits to the majority of its workforce can influence morale and generate greater loyalty from employees, which helps productivity and reduces turnover rates.

Pension Health — The ratio of the company’s unfunded pension to total assets. Rationale: This number gives an indication of the company’s ability to honour its pension fund obligation.

Board Diversity and C-Suite Diversity — The percentage of directors / C-suite members who are women or of Aboriginal or visible minority visage. Rationale: A company that wants to attract and retain the best and brightest must show there are no glass or white ceilings.

Board Independence — The percentage of key committee(s) (audit and compensation) that are chaired by an independent director. Rationale: A strong independent board can provide valuable perspective and checks that help a company stay focused and steer it away from strategic risks.

Full SD Committee — The number of board-level committees tasked specifically with environmental issues, social license to operate, sustainability, safety, public policy, or corporate responsibility. Rationale: Making sustainability part of the formal purview of the board helps to provide oversight over broad stakeholder issues from the company’s top leadership, which enhances a company’s ability to both manage risk and seek out related strategic opportunities for profit.

C-Suite Pay — The mean total salary of top three paid officers divided by the company’s profits. Rationale: Companies that divert excessive compensation to just a few executives in relation to the company’s earnings may suggest conflicts of interest and sub-optimal resource deployment.

Secondary Baseline Indicators
Shareholder Conflict — The number of shareholder resolutions that were withdrawn (resolved) by the filer minus the shareholder resolutions that were omitted by the company or that gained over 7.5 per cent of the vote at the AGM over the past three years. Rationale: Companies that resolve concerns by shareholders demonstrate better stakeholder relations.

Work Stoppages Penalty — Person-days lost as a per cent of total employees in most recent year (only counts if more than 500 person-days lost). Rationale: Labour disruptions impose costs on many stakeholders and generally do not increase the goodwill between management and workers. This can lead to delays and lower productivity.

Labour Force Relations — A company receives a score in this category if a significant portion of its employees have a collective bargaining agreement or if no worker strife (not including work stoppages) has been documented by provincial labour relations boards over the past year. Rationale: Companies that have cordial labour relations tend to perform better.

Primary Key Performance Indicators

Each company that Corporate Knights assesses is classified by sector, each of which has a set of specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Healthcare
• SD innovation and responsible business practices

Communications and Media
• Waste minimization initiatives
• SD differentiation of media

Financials
• Proportion of sustainable assets under management
• Liability management
• Sustainable governance / public policy influence
• Aboriginal banking or support
 
Retail
• Supply chain standards
• Eco-social product innovation
• Facility waste reduction and conservation

Oil and Gas
• GHG intensity
• Water intensity
• Renewable energy portfolio
• Aboriginal relations

IT
• EICC member
• Downstream impact: energy efficiency of products
• Eco-social product innovation
• Active technology transfer to developing world
• Prevention / mitigation of hazardous substances
• Proportion of products with SD differentiation

Transport
• Fleet efficiency
• Accidents

Chemicals
• Energy efficiency of production
• Downstream impact: environmental and human toxicity
• Eco-social product innovation

Mining
• Energy efficiency of production
• Downstream impact: environmental and human toxicity
• Eco-social product innovation
• Proportion of products with SD differentiation
• Green energy use
• Human rights / security understanding
• Accident rate (lost time accident)
• Fatalities on the job in the last five years
• Extractive industry transparency initiative (where applicable)
• Waste diversion
• Aboriginal relations

Utilities
• Greenhouse gas intensity of energy production
• Renewable energy portfolio
• Demand side conservation effectiveness
• Aboriginal relations

Industrials
• Waste minimization programs
• Downstream impact: Energy efficiency (products), safety, lifecycle eco-design, eco-social hazardous substances/environmental and human toxicity
• Eco-social product innovation
• Proportion of products with SD differentiation
• Green energy use
• Waste diversion
• Supplier SD development program

Forestry
• Green power from biomass (volume)
• Eco-social product innovation
• Accident rate (lost time accident)
• Forest Stewardship Council certification in Canada
• Aboriginal relations

Note: "SD" means sustainable development. All $USD amounts are converted at $1 USD = $1.15 CAD. For any questions, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Database Sources
SEDAR and other company filings in the public domain, SHARE, Provincial Labour Ministries, HRSDC, NPRI, Statistics Canada.