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Frequently Asked Questions


Introduction

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is a Crown corporation mandated to invest in infrastructure which benefits Canadians.

Our priority investment areas include: green infrastructure, clean power, public transit, trade and transportation and broadband infrastructure.

As an impact investor, we focus on new infrastructure which deliver results such as: economic growth, climate change action and connected communities.

We are also focused on providing advisory expertise and building knowledge as a centre of expertise about infrastructure investment.

We collaborate with federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous partners, the private sector and institutional investors.

We actively seek new project opportunities which could benefit from our expertise, flexible and patient capital while crowding-in institutional and private sector investment.

We assess all investment opportunities based on their own merits. We work with partners from across Canada to determine the most efficient way to deliver infrastructure, whether it be through co-investments, public-private partnerships or other traditional forms of investment.

When assessing potential investments located in rural and northern communities, we carefully assess the specific challenges of developing infrastructure in these regions. We also consider how investments can contribute to the Government of Canada’s commitment to achieve reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Investment

Our Growth Plan targets new investments in five priority initiatives:

  • transit for Canadians to have cleaner commutes which includes zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure;
  • clean power focused on renewables, energy storage and transmission to help Canada transition to a low-carbon future;
  • energy efficient retrofits for buildings to make Canadian cities and communities more sustainable;
  • broadband to connect Canadians’ homes and small businesses in underserved communities;
  • large-scale irrigation projects to help farmers enhance agricultural production and strengthen the sector.

Our investments help get more infrastructure built which benefit Canadians. We are an additional tool in the infrastructure toolkit.

Our investment partnerships with the public and private sectors advance projects which might not otherwise be built. This allows government to focus its limited capital on other public sector investment priorities.

We also provide specialized commercial advisory expertise to public-sector owners and sponsors and private-sector investors which can advance the development of projects.

To further reduce the infrastructure gap, Canada has to evolve the approaches to financing infrastructure. New investment models which include usage-based and other revenue structures can reduce the burden on taxpayers and constrained government budgets, expand private sector investment and increase innovation.

We want to accelerate delivery of more, high-quality infrastructure for Canadians.

Federal, provincial, territorial, municipal governments, and their agencies, and Indigenous communities, as well as the private sector, can propose potential projects for our investment consideration at any time. We engage with public sector owners and sponsors across Canada to understand investment opportunities.

We are open to receiving project or investment proposals directly to our Investments and Project Development teams who can be reached at investments@cib-bic.ca. Our dedicated Indigenous Infrastructure team can be reached at indigenous@cib-bic.ca.

Before any project is approved for investment, it must satisfy all commercial due diligence including financing, structuring, risk transfer analysis and more. We also ensure our investments align with the federal government’s high-level policy priorities.

Our due diligence includes examining critical information such as the business case, risk allocation, attractiveness to private and institutional investors, market testing results and optimization of costs including competitive tension, deliverability including procurement strategy.

All investments are confirmed by a management investment committee and approved by the Investment Committee of the Board of Directors.

The specific financial instruments used will depend on what makes the most sense for any given project. We have a wide range of financial instruments at our disposal, including: senior debt, subordinated debt, preferred equity, equity and structured risk positions, depending upon the needs of a specific project.

We have flexibility on the level of risk we can take on and tailor investments to match the unique requirements of each project and can accept below-market returns.

We are focused on achieving outcomes and balance those against the risks. Part of the our role in making new infrastructure happen and closing investment gaps in projects, is to responsibly accept some risks while ensuring performance by its partners.

We will not take on risks which the private sector is best positioned to manage. In cases where certain risks (such as demand or usage risk) are too great for private investors to accept in full, we will structure our investment to align with the risk profile of the project.

We are an infrastructure investor, not a procurement agent.

Governance

We have a professional, independent Board of Directors which oversees management and approves investments. The Board has a range of professional skills, infrastructure expertise and investment experience.

We report to Parliament through the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. The Government of Canada sets our overall policy direction and high-level investment priorities by approving our annual corporate plan.

We are accountable to The Government of Canada and Canadians through the Canada Infrastructure Bank Act and the Financial Administration Act.

We develop an annual corporate plan, with operating and capital budgets, for approval by the Government of Canada. Summaries of the corporate plan and our annual reports are tabled in Parliament and posted on this website.

We also host an annual public meeting to be transparent, accountable and accessible.

In addition, the Auditor General of Canada and an independent private-sector auditor are joint auditors.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank Act, the legislation that established the CIB, was part of Bill C-44, Budget Implementation Act, 2017, which received Royal Assent on June 22, 2017. The full text of The Canada Infrastructure Bank Act is available on the Government of Canada’s Justice Laws Website.