Canada’s $1-trillion investment opportunity: what advisors need to know
Canada, the report argues, is well positioned to compete for a larger share of that capital but faces structural hurdles that have historically left it underinvested relative to its potential.
Where the opportunity lies
The report examines five sectors it identifies as the most realistic near-term destinations for foreign capital: liquefied natural gas (LNG), mining, electric vehicles, pharmaceuticals, and data centres.
Each represents a different investment archetype, some anchored to Canada’s resource endowment, others driven by cost competitiveness, and others by the clustering of talent and infrastructure.
On data centres, the numbers are striking. Global demand for data centre capacity, measured by energy required, is expected to roughly triple by 2030, growing from approximately 82 gigawatts to 278 gigawatts, according to McKinsey’s Data Center Demand Model, with artificial intelligence accounting for approximately 70 per cent of that growth.
Canada’s levelized cost to build a data centre is approximately $190 per megawatt hour in Edmonton, compared with $242 per megawatt hour in the United States, according to the report. That cost advantage is driven by low-carbon power, cool climate, and available land; structural assets that don’t disappear overnight.
