OMERS CEO on Why Canada Is Most Investable in Decades

OMERS CEO Blake Hutcheson joined Drumbeats to discuss Indigenous equity and the Canadian capital case:

Today's Spotlight

•     OMERS to deploy £5.5bn more in Canada, lifting allocation above 20%.
•     Carney-Smith pact opens 1mbpd oil pipeline to Asian buyers.
•     Atlantic First Nations stake claim in £33bn Wind West build.
•     Selkirk First Nation lines up Alaska port as global mineral export route.

"A quarter isn't three months. A quarter is 25 years."

What does it mean when one of Canada's Maple 8 thinks in generational time?

In a Drumbeats first, Blake Hutcheson, President and Chief Executive Officer of OMERS, joined co-hosts Mark Magnacca and Rob Brant in front of a live audience at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition annual conference in Toronto. Over the next five years, OMERS will deploy at least £5.5bn (CA$10bn) of additional capital in Canada, lifting its Canadian allocation meaningfully above the current 20%.

The examples are already in motion. The Bruce Power isotopes joint venture with Saugeen Ojibway Nation was financed at levels comparable to Government of Canada and Government of Ontario notes, a prototype for Indigenous-partnered infrastructure debt.

Hutcheson also pointed to defence, where Carney's commitment to 5% of GDP by 2035 creates a £50bn (CA$90bn) annual spending delta, with Northern infrastructure squarely in scope. "Canada is more investable than it has been in recent decades," he said.

For more on the conversation with OMERS, and other episodes on what is drawing capital back to Canada, listen to Drumbeats. 

I recently discussed why OMERS aims to add $10 billion in Canadian investments over the next five years.  

I stated the following:

[...] OMERS is aiming to add $10 billion in new investment in Canada over the next five years, mostly in infrastructure and real estate.

Is this feasible? Yes, as long as all the governments -- local, provincial and federal -- create winning conditions for OMERS and all of Canada's Maple 8 and beyond to invest in big projects.

I recently discussed that Prime Minister Mark Carney has invited 100 of the world's biggest investors to a summit in Toronto this September, hosted by CPP Investments and PSP Investments.

But I was clear, the time for words and slogans is long gone; the time for action is now, and we need to get going on big projects or else global investors will not invest here.

Go to minute 19 of the discussion below where Blake Hutcheson makes it clear they stack projects in Canada with opportunities they see around the world and will only invest here if the relative opportunities are better from a risk-adjusted viewpoint.  

He then explains how the federal government is planting seeds to invest more in Canada and is optimistic that things will get going and global investors will take notice.

He also explains why defense spending in Canada will necessarily increase and that "$90 billion annual delta" will present huge opportunities.

There was also a discussion on how Bruce Power partnered with indigenous groups to double the production of medical isotopes. 

Anyway, great discussion, kudos to Mark Magnacca and Rob Brant for their great questions.  

Below, Blake Hutcheson, President and Chief Executive Officer of OMERS, joins co-hosts Mark Magnacca and Rob Brant in front of a live audience at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition annual conference in Toronto.

Also, a historic agreement between Bruce Power and Indigenous groups will double the production of medical isotopes. Scott Miller reports (Feb, 2026).