While lots of attention has been devoted to infrastructure investments over the last few years, the vast majority of it has focused on what Canadian pension plans are doing abroad. In the meantime, Ontario’s evolution into a hotbed of activity in this space has gone largely unsung, says Bert Clark, who heads up the U.S. and Canadian portions of Scotia Capital’s global infrastructure finance business.
His team served as lead bond underwriter, bookrunner and bank lender on the project that St. Joseph’s Health Care announced this week, for the development of two new mental health care facilities in London and St. Thomas, Ont.
EllisDon Corp., which was founded in London, Ont., 60 years ago, and Fengate Capital Management Ltd., are taking the lead on the project.
“If you’re in the infrastructure space, Ontario and Canada is a phenomenon. It has been the most active infrastructure market in the world for the last four years,” said Mr. Clark. “Our pension funds are obviously global players in infrastructure, but in terms of the Canadian landscape we have a whole set of funds that have developed here, Fengate being one of the more successful.”
While there is still plenty of activity - from new planned hospitals in Oakville, Ont., and northwestern Toronto to a new courthouse in the west end of Toronto and a project to extend Highway 407 eastward - the local pipeline does appear to be slowing a bit.
