We lend to new infrastructure projects that are for the benefit of and in partnership with Indigenous communities to reduce their infrastructure gap and promote economic participation. We are collaborating with First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada to explore opportunities.
We have a target to invest at least $1 billion in revenue-generating Indigenous infrastructure projects across our five priority sectors: clean power, green infrastructure, public transit, broadband, and trade and transportation.
The Indigenous Community Infrastructure Initiative (ICII) is a collaborative financing solution that offers low-cost and long-term loans to Indigenous infrastructure projects and combines public funding and/or private and institutional investment to get more infrastructure built.
Our Investment team is already active in Indigenous infrastructure projects across Canada. To learn more, please see our ICII eligibility criteria, related partnerships, and other resources.
Through the ICII, our investment team looks to invest in Indigenous projects that provide a direct benefit to an Indigenous community or communities. These projects must:
- Fall within at least one of the CIB’s priority sectors and be located in Canada; provide direct benefit to an Indigenous community;
- Provide direct benefit by closing an Indigenous infrastructure gap or through meaningful Indigenous ownership;
- Generate revenue, but can also be supported by other community revenues;
- Include Indigenous community capital and/or other industry sponsor investment of at least 20% of project capital cost net of grants;
- Represent an investment of at least $5 million and up to $100 million, and not more than 80% of project cost net of grants; evidence that no other lender will provide financing at terms and conditions that make the project viable;
- Be new or represent significant upgrades to existing infrastructure.