The Stampede Offensive
READ TIME: 3 Minutes
Federal: Pancakes in Calgary, Deals in Jeddah
Provincial: Ontario's biggest long-build power tender is taking bids
GTA: Chow v. Bradford heats up
But First…. another win!
We've been lobbying the federal government on behalf of our client to explore the possibility of zero-emission armoured vehicles.
We’re pleased to share that DND just commissioned that study! Electric armour. Yes, really.
1. Federal: pancakes in Calgary, deals in Jeddah
Every PM works the Stampede. What stood out this year was the scale: about 40 Liberal caucus members and 11 ministers. With Alberta's October 19vote on leaving Canada, and with a new PMO advisor assigned to the province, the turnout reads as a show of force, with something concrete. On the eve of the parade, PM Carney stood with Premier Smith to reveal the first details of an oil pipeline to British Columbia's southern coast. The bet? A real project cools separatist feeling better than a lecture, though Carney offered one of those too: leaving, he said, would be far messier than it sounds and would land hardest on Alberta itself.
A few days later he was in Jeddah, the first Canadian prime minister to visit Saudi Arabia in 26 years, signing 13 commercial agreements worth more than $1 billion across critical minerals, energy, AI, infrastructure and defence. Canadian pension funds are sending a delegation to the Kingdom, and in September, Toronto hosts the first-ever Canada Investment Summit, which is drawing investors from several countries, with a prominent Saudi contingent among them.
Selvam Insights:
If you mine, process or finance critical minerals. Canadian companies already hold the largest share of Saudi Arabia's mining exploration licences, so there's a real track record to build on here. The next place to be seen is that Investment Summit in Toronto in September, and it's the kind of guest list that fills up early, so I'd get onto the International Trade Minister's radar well before then.
If you're in engineering or infrastructure. Hatch and AtkinsRéalis have already staked out the Vision 2030 road and rail work, and the new foreign minister-level Coordination Council is where the rest of the project list will get shaped. The Foreign Investment Protection Agreement is meant to close by early 2027, which is usually the point where investors start moving real money, so the groundwork is far better laid this fall than left until spring.
2. Provincial: Ontario’s biggest long-build power tender is taking bids
Ontario's biggest long-build electricity tender in years is open, and the first deadline just passed: written questions to the IESO closed July 10. The Long Lead-Time RFP is for power that needs five or more years to come online, in two streams: up to 1 TWh a year of new hydro, and up to 800 MW of long-duration storage (pumped hydro, compressed air, liquid air, pumped thermal). Winners get a 40-year contract. It launched May 6 under a directive from the Energy Minister.
The dates that matter come this fall: registration runs September 23 to October 6, proposals are due November 26, and contracts should be awarded by spring 2027. Two changes widen the field. The minimum project size drops from 10 MW to 1 MW, which brings smaller proponents in, and a new Canadian-content incentive trims up to 3 percent off your evaluated bid price if you source enough materials and labour at home. One catch: any project inside a municipality still needs a council support resolution, and councils go quiet heading into the October election.
Selvam Insights:
If you develop hydro or long-duration storage. The date that counts is November 26, and the registration window ahead of it is short, only September 23 to October 6, so you'll want your project team and financing model settled over the next couple of months. The IESO is running deliverability consultations right up to mid-November, and it's worth grabbing a slot while there's still room.
If you supply or build into these projects (EPC, steel, equipment). That 3 percent Canadian-content advantage can be what decides a close bid, so I'd get your sourcing commitments and supply-chain disclosure in front of proponents now, while they're still costing out their submissions.
If your project sits inside a municipality. You'll need council's sign-off, and the fall election is going to freeze a lot of council calendars, so it's much safer to lock down the support resolution before nomination season swallows September. We know the players at Queen's Park and around the council table, and we're happy to help you sequence the approvals.
3. GTA: Chow v. Bradford heats up
A new poll has Mayor Olivia Chow at 49 percent and challenger Councillor Brad Bradford at 40. That's a 9-point gap among decided voters, down from a wider lead in May.
Chow says she won't campaign until fall, with the city midway through hosting FIFA World Cup matches. Bradford has been closing the gap on transit and infrastructure, including the Scarborough transit fight, and the two keep trading competing council motions on the files likely to decide the race.
Selvam Insights:
If you have a file at City Hall (a development application, a planning matter, a city contract). The campaign is already on, and the restricted-acts (lame-duck) window hits at nomination day, August 21: from then, this council can't approve unbudgeted spending or property deals over $50,000, so any city contract or land transaction needs to be budgeted or through council before that date. Planning and zoning matters are exempt and can keep moving. Start building relationships across the field now in case of any major council shifts.
If transit or infrastructure is your business. This is turning into the ballot question, so you'll want a clear read on where Chow and Bradford each stand on Scarborough transit and congestion before you pitch a project or decide who to get behind.
