CN, CP, STM Among ‘Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada’

(CN Photograph)

Three railway companies have earned spots on the Corporate Knights Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada list for 2023: CN, Canadian Pacific (now Canadian Pacific Kansas City through the April 14 merger with Kansas City Southern), and STM (Société de transport de Montréal).

“Since 2002, Corporate Knights’ ranking of Canada’s Best 50 Corporate Citizens has been tracing public and private companies as well as Crown corporations with more than [C]$1 billion in revenues,” the sustainable-economy media and research B Corporation reported. “Our researchers probe 25 key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess how firms manage their resources, employees and finances in comparison to their peer group, with 50% of each company’s score tied to the percentage of their revenue and investments that qualify as sustainable.”

This year to determine the ranking, released June 28, Corporate Knights analyzed 286 large Canadian organizations against Canadian and global industry peers.

STM—which runs four Metro lines and local bus and shared taxibus service in Montreal—came in at No. 4 (last year, it was No. 10); CN was No. 7 (last year it was No. 35); and CP was No. 8 (last year it was No. 17).

CN and CP were part of the “Freight Transport, All Modes” category, joined by Canada Post Corp. STM was the only company ranked in the “Transit and Ground Transportation” category. Also ranked was Stantec Inc., in the “Engineering Construction” category.

According to Corporate Knights, CN was the “most improved” company on the list, climbing “from 35th place to seventh this year thanks to a notable increase in investments mainly aimed at rail network safety and integrity, as well as track infrastructure network resiliency and information technology initiatives. These investments totaled [C]$2.5 billion, or 85% of CN’s total investments, in 2021.”

“We are proud to be listed as one of the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada and honored to have received this recognition for 15 consecutive years,” said Tracy Robinson, President and CEO of CN. The Class I railroad noted that its inclusion on the list reflects its “commitment to delivering responsibly in all areas of its business. This means moving its customers’ goods safely and efficiently, attracting, retaining and engaging top talent, helping build stronger, safer communities, while adhering to the highest governance standards.”