The Crown corporation that handles public sector pensions and other funds in Alberta says its assets under management surpassed $200 billion this year. Justin Lord, chief investment officer at AIMCo, says with that scale, its funds can access compelling opportunities across a variety of asset classes. As of June 30, AIMCO’s assets under management were $210.7 billion, up from $194.7 billion at the end of 2025. Its balanced fund, a composite of client accounts, saw net investment returns come in at $13.6 billion for the first half of the year for a rate of return of 7.2 per cent. During that period, the fund was made up of 31 per cent money market and fixed income, 31 per cent private markets and 38 per cent public equities. AIMCo said in its mid-year report that public equities were the strongest contributor to its performance so far this year, benefiting from resilient corporate earnings and continued strength in artificial intelligence-related sectors and global equity markets. “We’ve seen the breadth of earnings growth increase, not just within the tech sector in particular, but across both geographies and sectors, with Canada performing very well also,” Lord said in an interview The first half of 2026 was marked by an energy shock stemming from the war in the Middle East as well as ongoing trade tensions with the United States. The turmoil on the trade front has only intensified in recent days after talks between Canada and the U.S. broke down late last week, with sweeping U.S. tariffs now taking effect in Canada and countertariffs looming. More than 40 per cent of AIMCo’s assets are invested in Canada, Lord said. “We certainly have a strong interest in being a competitive and attractive investment environment here in our own backyard.” AIMCo manages pension, endowment, insurance and government funds in Alberta. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2026. Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press
