June 25, 2025
Toronto, Ontario
The second annual Clean Power Finance Canada–CanREA Summit, held in downtown Toronto in June 2025, brought together more than 200 clean power professionals, investors and policymakers for a full day of high-level discussions on financing the energy transition in Canada.
Hosted by Presenting Sponsor CIBC, this exclusive, one-day event is the only Canadian conference dedicated to bridging the gap between the clean power sector and the finance and investment community. Attendees explored the emerging opportunities—and growing complexities—of financing clean energy projects across the country.
Clean energy developers, asset owners, investors and finance professionals gathered in Toronto to share insights on project financing and Canada’s evolving energy market.
Vittoria Bellissimo, President and CEO of CanREA, and Roman Dubczak, Deputy Chair of CIBC Capital Markets, opened the day with welcoming remarks that set the tone for the Summit’s finance-forward discussions.
The keynote address, “Powering Canada’s Future: Financing the next generation of renewable energy,” was delivered by Sashen Guneratna (CIB), who spoke about emerging investment pathways and overcoming barriers in clean energy finance.
The opening plenary, “Global trends, local impacts: How will international trade and energy policies affect Canada’s clean energy markets?,” moderated by Michelle Chislett (Northland Power), explored how global trade and energy policies are shaping Canadian markets. Panelists James Brooks (CIBC), Elizabeth Kaiga (DNV) and Ryan Lax (Torys LLP) provided macroeconomic insights with local implications.
The program then split into two parallel sessions. The “Cutting edge: Financing emerging clean power technologies” panel, moderated by Eric Visser (Vancity Community Investment Bank), examined financing strategies for emerging clean technologies like green hydrogen and long-duration storage. Speakers included Jeff Messner (Novus Earth), Scott Keating (Trillium Power Wind Corp.), Frank Davis (Pattern Energy) and Sonal Shah (Hydrostar Inc.).
Meanwhile, “Mapping the political landscape: Policy insights for Canada’s clean power industry,” moderated by Ahmed Irfan (RBC), brought together political experts Sandra Aubé (Tact Conseil), Chris Benedetti (Sussex Strategy Group), David Herle (Rubicon Strategy) and Mark Cameron (Glenfinnan Consulting) to assess Canada’s shifting policy terrain and its implications for clean energy development.
After lunch, the panel on “Indigenous equity financing: Funding opportunities for clean energy partnerships,” moderated by Cherie Brant (Borden Ladner Gervais), addressed the persistent barriers Indigenous communities face in accessing capital for clean energy projects. Panelists Sashen Guneratna (Canada Infrastructure Bank), Shaun Fantauzzo (First Nations Major Projects Coalition), Crystal Nicholas (Wskijinu’k Mtmo’taqnuow Agency) and Andrew Kennedy (Capstone Infrastructure Corporation) explored financing tools, investment models and strategies to support equitable Indigenous participation in the energy transition.
In parallel, the panel “Seeing green: The future of the ITCs, financing tools & optimizing claims,” moderated by David Warner (EDF Renewables), offered practical insights into Canada’s evolving Investment Tax Credit landscape. Panelists Jennifer Majid (LCAB), Rayna Narayansingh (National Bank of Canada), Brony Fong (KPMG Canada) and Dan Jankovic (Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP) discussed how developers and investors can optimize claims, leverage new financial instruments, and avoid common pitfalls in clean energy project financing.
In the late afternoon, the panel “Charge forward: Financing energy storage,” moderated by Niru Thambirajah (CIBC Capital Markets), examined the financial and regulatory landscape for energy storage across Canada. Panelists Michael Kaufman (Aypa Power), Rob Lydan (Phoventus) and Jake Sadikman (Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP) shared insights into investment models, market structures and the policy frameworks needed to unlock the full potential of energy storage solutions.
At the same time, the “Big Tech: Power-hungry and driving clean electricity investment” panel, moderated by Thomas Timmins (Gowling WLG), explored how the rapid growth of AI and data centres is reshaping electricity demand in Canada. Panelists Patrick Lo (Microsoft), Ray Fakhoury (Amazon Web Services), Strahan McCarten (eStruxture Data Centers) and David Devereaux (IESO) discussed the implications for power procurement, infrastructure planning, and clean energy investment.
The final set of panels addressed both risk management and market outlook. In “Risk and return: Innovative insurance solutions for clean energy projects,” moderator Jen Aitchison (Hub International) led a dynamic discussion on how insurance is evolving to meet the needs of the clean energy sector. Panelists Paul Turner (Hub International), George Schulz (New Energy Risk), Fraser Roberts (INTECH Risk Management) and Kapil Kalra, CFA (Vancity Community Investment Bank) shared innovative approaches to mitigating capital risk, protecting revenue streams, and unlocking more affordable financing.
Simultaneously, CanREA and Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors offered an exclusive preview of their upcoming report, Canada’s Renewable Energy Market Outlook 2025. Moderated by Jackie Forrest (ARC Energy Research Institute), the session featured insights from Ahmed Hanafy (Dunsky), Leonard Kula (CanREA) and Evan Wilson (CanREA). Together, they provided an early look at key market forecasts, provincial procurement plans, technology cost trends, and other critical data shaping the future of wind, solar and energy storage in Canada. The full report will be officially launched during a CanREA-hosted webinar in September 2025.
The day concluded with a closing keynote from Ontario Minister Sam Oosterhoff, who shared insights on the province’s evolving role in Canada’s clean energy transition.
Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s President and CEO, then returned to the stage to deliver closing remarks, thanking attendees and reinforcing the critical role of collaboration between the finance and clean power sectors.
Attendees then transitioned to CanREA Connects – Ontario, the highly anticipated Summer Solstice networking reception.
Thank you
Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support in making CanREA’s event a resounding success.
