The Empire Club of Canada
Hybrid
Monday, March 3, 2025
The Empire Club of Canada is thrilled to welcome Ehren Cory, CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), for an exclusive update on investment progress across the country. Ehren will be joined by Sean Speer, Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large of The Hub, for a thought-provoking fireside chat. Key topics will include addressing Canada’s infrastructure needs and the CIB’s role in making strategic investments which facilitate projects that would otherwise not be possible with traditional lenders.
Hear from Ehren Cory on the CIB’s collaboration with the private and public sectors and Indigenous partners. This work and the CIB’s innovative financing solutions have accelerated new projects across asset classes from coast to coast to coast.
Following the 1:1 conversation, the event will open to feature a panel discussion with energy industry innovators including: Michelle Chislett, Executive Vice President of Onshore Renewables, Northland Power; Peter Gregg, President and CEO of Nova Scotia Power and Tracy Primeau, Board Director, OPG. The panel will explore success stories, lessons learned and how collaboration is key to achieving long-term infrastructure goals.
Join us on March 3, 2025, for this important conversation hosted by the Empire Club of Canada, as we delve into the future of Canadian infrastructure, innovation, and the power of partnerships in driving forward meaningful outcomes.
Sean Speer will also feature this conversation for Hub Podcasts on a future episode.
About the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB)
The CIB is an impact investor, financing revenue-generating infrastructure which benefits Canadians and attracts private capital. The CIB’s blended financing helps to minimize ratepayer impacts, fill gaps in the capital structure of projects to move them forward, share risks and enable meaningful participation for Indigenous communities. By forming new partnerships, the CIB is tackling some of the nation’s critical infrastructure and energy challenges, driving economic development opportunities and creating jobs.
As Executive Vice President of Onshore Renewables, Michelle is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the onshore business unit globally, including operations, construction, engineering and growth for onshore wind, solar and storage technologies.
Michelle has 20+ years of renewable energy experience. She joined Northland in 2016 as Managing Director of Canada/US Development, where she oversaw Northland’s expansion into the US market through the acquisition of three onshore wind farms in New York State, two of which are currently in operation.
Before joining Northland, Michelle was Country Manager with SunEdison, overseeing the Canadian business segment. Prior to that she was Vice President of Business Development with GDF SUEZ Canada, where Michelle oversaw development and construction for the solar project pipeline. Prior to this, Michelle held senior positions with SkyPower Corp, most recently as Vice President, Solar Group where she led the team that developed Canada’s first fully operational solar farm, ‘First Light’.
Michelle is a current board member of the Ontario Energy Association and is past chair of the Board for the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, the Canadian Wind Energy Association and the Canadian Solar Industries Association. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
Ehren Cory, CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), is a leader in sustainable finance and infrastructure investing in Canada. He joined the CIB in 2020 with a focus on accelerating new infrastructure investment through partnerships with the private and public sectors. Previously, he was the CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, one of North America’s largest public infrastructure developers, and a partner at McKinsey & Company advising project clients in both the private and public sectors. Ehren also serves on the Boards of the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships and Unity Health Toronto, and is involved in a number of leading sustainable investment organizations including the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen’s University. He received an MBA from INSEAD and an Honours BA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Ehren Cory, président-directeur général de la Banque de l’infrastructure du Canada (BIC), est un chef de file reconnu en matière de finance durable et d’investissement dans les infrastructures au Canada. Il s’est joint à la BIC en 2020 avec pour objectif d’accélérer les nouveaux investissements dans les infrastructures par le biais de partenariats avec les secteurs privé et public. Auparavant, il a été président-directeur général d’Infrastructure Ontario (IO), l’un des plus grands promoteurs d’infrastructures publiques d’Amérique du Nord, et associé chez McKinsey & Company conseillant des clients des secteurs privé et public. M. Cory siège également aux conseils d’administration du Conseil canadien pour les partenariats public-privé et Unity Health Toronto et est actif au sein de plusieurs organisations d’investissement durable, y compris l’Institut de la finance durable de l’Université Queen’s. Il a obtenu une maîtrise en administration des affaires de l’INSEAD ainsi qu’une licence avec mention de la Richard Ivey School of Business de l’Université Western Ontario.
Peter Gregg is President & CEO of Nova Scotia Power. In his role, Peter is focused on planning for
Nova Scotia’s clean energy future while overseeing the delivery of safe, reliable electricity to
customers across the province.
Peter is an experienced leader in the Canadian energy sector. Prior to his role at Nova Scotia Power,
Peter most recently served as the President & CEO of the Independent Electricity System Operator
(IESO), where he oversaw the operation of Ontario’s bulk electricity system. He was also President
and CEO of Enersource from 2014 to 2016, where he was integral in the merger of four of Ontario’s
largest local distribution companies to create Alectra Inc., the second largest municipally owned
utility in North America. Peter served as COO at Hydro One Networks, overseeing energy
transmission and distribution across Ontario.
Peter is currently the chair on the Board of Directors for Electricity Canada and a member of the
Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council.
Peter received a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at
University of Western Ontario and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D (Certified
Director) designation
Tracy Primeau began her career in 1990 at the Ontario Power Generation Pickering Nuclear Generating Station as a Nuclear Operator in Training and was qualified as a Nuclear Operator at Pickering A in 1992. Three years later, she moved home to Kincardine and became a qualified Nuclear Operator at Bruce A, progressing to Authorized Nuclear Operator and eventually to Shift Manager in 2010. She is one of the few women (and the only Indigenous one) to become a CNSC licensed operator at Bruce Power (the first at Bruce A) and the only female Shift Manager to work her way up from the shop floor.
Ms. Primeau is also a mentor and role model to many men and women in the energy sector, often sharing insights from her nuclear career at conferences, professional development events and other initiatives. She offers insights on diversity, women in STEM and Indigenous relationship building through her company Agile Bear.
Tracy is a proud member of the Nipissing First Nation and was a founding member of the Ontario Hydro Native Circle in 1992 and was the first Chair of the Bruce Power Native Circle, a position she held for many years. She strives to use the Seven Grandfather Teachings in her leadership every day.
Raising her two boys with her husband Dave, Tracy has always been active in her community. Tracy currently serves on the Board of Directors for Women in Nuclear Canada, Ontario Power Generation, Ingenium, United College Board of Governors and the University of Waterloo. Within her community, she actively strives to establish creative and lasting solutions for the systemic hurdles faced by Indigenous populations. Among her many aspirations is the global expansion of clean energy, with a special focus on extending its benefits to remote Indigenous communities across Canada and equity partnerships on the path to economic reconciliation.
Sean Speer is the co-founder and editor at large of The Hub (www.thehub.ca), an online news and commentary site on Canadian policy and politics. He is also a senior fellow at Carleton University’s Riddell Graduate Program for Political Management, the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and the Public Policy Forum. Sean previously served as a senior advisor to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
