Intended Consequences

Canadian high-performance athletes train hard every day to compete at the highest levels and proudly represent Canada on the world stage. Countries and sport federations are constantly thinking about how to enable athletes and national teams to perform at their best. Government funding and a strong sport ecosystem are critical enablers of high performance. The Government of Canada announced $755 million in the latest Spring Economic Update to support Canadian athletes and National Sport Organisations. The funding will also help host large sporting events and get more people involved in sport. Susanne Wereley, President of AthletesCAN, joins the podcast to discuss the state of high-performance sport in Canada. A two-time Olympian in rowing and an Olympic gold medalist, Susanne discusses how Canada attracts, retains, and supports high-performance athletes. She provides insight into the state of sport infrastructure and how adequate funding underpins the playground-to-podium continuum.

Between the Milano Cortina Olympics, the Paralympics, and the FIFA World Cup, 2026 is a dream year for sports fans. But these mega-events go beyond sports and medals; they are highly political and extensively covered by the media. Large international competitions are opportunities for host countries to achieve diplomatic, political, and economic objectives through sports. How these events are conveyed to fans locally and globally also matters, as sports and media constantly influence one another. To unpack these topics, Intended Consequences welcomes Cecilia Arregui Olivera and Vitaly Kazakov, Postdoctoral Fellows at the Media and Journalism Studies Department at Aarhus University.

With the Government of Canada increasing its defence spending, CANSEC was a must-attend event for ecosystem players. Highlighting the unique moment Canada finds itself in amid shifting geopolitical dynamics, Mark Carney became the first sitting Canadian Prime Minister to speak at CANSEC. StrategyCorp's Garry Keller, Frédérik Larouche, and Terry Nemeth share their key takeaways from the event and the Prime Minister's announcements. They highlight what the government ought to consider as it attempts to move forward at a rapid pace on defence.

L'aluminium fait l'objet de tarifs douaniers élevés depuis le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche. Les impacts de ces tarifs sur le secteur et les prix mondiaux sont importants. Ceux-ci sont exacerbés par l'instabilité dans le golfe Persique, une région productrice d'aluminium. Afin de dresser un portrait des défis et des opportunités auxquels fait face l'industrie canadienne de l'aluminium, l'Institut de StrategyCorp a eu le plaisir d'accueillir Jean Simard, Président et chef de la direction de l'Association de l'aluminium du Canada, et Philippe Couillard, conseiller principal à StrategyCorp.

Entrepreneurship is the foundation of economic development. But what happens when entrepreneurs want to retire? According to a report from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), nearly 61% of Canadian SMEs are led by owners who are 50+ and many plan to exit within the next five years. Pierre Cléroux, Vice President, Research and Chief Economist at BDC, joins the podcast to discuss this dynamic and what might happen to these SMEs. He shares insight into whether entrepreneurs are prepared for their exits, who they might sell their companies to, and the benefits of business acquisitions for buyers and the Canadian economy.

Live music and film are major drivers of economic development in communities across Canada. Erin Benjamin, President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, and Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos, Film Commissioner and CEO of the Ottawa Film Office, join the podcast to discuss the positive economic and social impacts of their respective sectors. They highlight the importance of partnerships and people and explain how governments can help attract and support live music and movie productions.

Growing Canada's housing supply requires adequate underlying infrastructure. Water and wastewater capacity, waste management, and public transit and active transportation are top-of-mind housing-enabling infrastructure for communities across Canada. Ren Thomas is a member of the Canadian Infrastructure Council (CIC) and joins the podcast to discuss the CIC's first National Infrastructure Assessment. She provides key insights on the state of infrastructure in Canada, regional differences, the role of social infrastructure, and climate resilience.

AI is top of mind across all organizations. Julie Gonyou, Vice President at StrategyCorp, explains how AI is rapidly embedding itself in the public sector. As the pace of AI continues to accelerate in 2026, Julie explains how it will shape the next phase of public sector transformation, and why decision-makers must get it right.

StrategyCorp's year-in-review and 2026 look-ahead StrategyCorp's annual year-in-review & look-ahead episode is back to close out the 2025 season of Intended Consequences. Our expert guests discuss the most important developments of 2025 in politics, communication, real estate, education, technology, and geopolitics, and share what they will be keeping an eye on in 2026 to help us get ready for a new year.

Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), joins the podcast to discuss tariffs and trade diversification. He also provides insight into the state of AI adoption in manufacturing, the value of intellectual property and the crucial role of postsecondary institutions in training the workforce the sector needs. Municipalities, economic developers and companies will want to listen to this episode as Jayson Myers explains how they can partner with NGen to showcase Canadian manufacturing capabilities at home and abroad.

Making location decisions has never been as challenging for companies. Global and local factors are extensively influencing investment dynamics and shaping economic development. Gregg Wassmansdorf, Senior Managing Director of Global Strategy consulting at Newmark, joins the podcast to discuss the state of site selection in Canada and the United States. He provides expert insight into investment readiness, business retention and expansion (BR+E), tariffs, and how politics and policy influence site selection.

Joanne Chianello and Stacy Hushion join the podcast to discuss StrategyCorp's 2025 Ontario Municipal Chief Administrative Officer Survey . With a municipal election a year away, longstanding pressures facing local governments and Trump-induced uncertainty, it was an interesting time to engage with CAOs to hear their views. Our guests share the Survey's insights into the local impacts of geopolitics, incivility, strong mayor powers, and provincial-municipal relations.

After a busy summer for the government and opposition parties, Members of Parliament are back in Ottawa for the return of the House of Commons. Between the ongoing tension with the United States, the return of Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons, and an upcoming federal budget amid a slowing economy, there will be no shortage of political and economic developments to keep an eye on this fall. Jeff Mahon joins the podcast to provide an overview of how geopolitical dynamics will influence Canadian politics and government priorities. Allyson Grant and Garry Keller also drop by to talk about what to expect from the Liberals, the Conservatives, the NDP, and the Bloc as Parliament returns.

Federal and provincial governments across Canada have been recording budget deficits for several years, which is raising concerns around their financial capacity in a time of heightened uncertainty. Deficits and debt can get very political with opposition parties often attacking governments on their management of public finances. However, the financial market tends to look at government finances through a different lens and focuses on the ability to repay debt obligations. Credit rating agencies play an important role in this ecosystem by rating issuers. To learn more about how credit rating agencies look at current financial situation of governments in Canada, StrategyCorp welcomed on the podcast Travis Shaw, Morningstar DBRS' Senior Vice President & Sector Lead for Global Sovereign Ratings.

The current Trump-induced uncertainty is impacting every aspect of the economy, including capital flows. When it gets harder to predict economic patterns, investors become more risk-averse and companies have a harder time accessing capital. To get a better sense of the capital and funding landscape in Canada, the StrategyCorp Institute invited the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association on the podcast. Adriana Vega, VP of Government Affairs, and David Kornacki, Director of Data and Product, shared their insights on the trends in venture capital and private equity, and on the role government can play to support the sector.

Le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche et la mise en place de tarifs douaniers créent de nombreux défis pour les entreprises manufacturières québécoises. Les taux, la portée et même l'échéancier de ces tarifs ont changé à plusieurs reprises depuis janvier. Ces revirements de situation causent beaucoup d'incertitude pour les dirigeants d'entreprise et les travailleurs. Afin de dresser un portrait de la situation dans le secteur manufacturier et de discuter des défis et des solutions, l'Institut de StrategyCorp a eu le plaisir d'accueillir Julie White, Présidente-directrice générale de Manufacturiers & Exportateurs du Québec, et Philippe Couillard, conseiller principal à StrategyCorp.

The first 100 days of the second Trump presidency have been a whirlwind. Between policy announcements on Truth Social, a barrage of tariffs and cuts to the civil service, the Trump White House has been moving fast and breaking things. Amid this breakneck pace, the Democrats are trying to oppose Trump on Capitol Hill while also getting ready for the 2026 mid-term elections. Bruce Fisher, a veteran of American politics, joins the podcast to discuss how the Democrats are dealing with the Trump earthquake and preparing for the mid-term elections. He also shares his insight into how Canada should deal with Trump 2.0.

The 100 th episode of Intended Consequences explores the impacts of the U.S. tariffs on economic development in Canada. Many Canadian communities are vulnerable to tariffs with Saint John (NB), Calgary and Windsor topping the list according to the U.S. Tariff Exposure Index developed by the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The Director of the Economic Development Program at the University of Waterloo, Brock Dickinson, joins the podcast to discuss how economic development is impacted by tariffs and what it could mean for sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. He shares helpful strategies local economic development officers can deploy to support companies and make their communities more resilient.

Much of Ontario – including most of the province's main urban centres – are served by local electricity distributors (LDCs) owned by municipalities. Both the federal and Ontario governments have recently announced measures that could enable more private sector or pension fund investment in those municipally owned LDCs. This podcast looks at the current situation, the proposed changes and what more private or pension fund investment could entail for municipalities, investors and the Ontario Energy Board. We are joined by Mary Anne Aldred, Strategic Advisor at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, and StrategyCorp's very own Aleck Dadson and Michael Fenn.

In the face of an uncertain economic future, where housing starts have plummeted and residential sales are down, but demand shows no signs of abating, the key goal of the industry is to somehow make it through 2025. StrategyCorp Ontario Developer Survey 2024 Dave Wilkes, President and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association, and Jason Burggraaf, Executive Director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association, join the podcast to discuss the state of the development industry in Ontario. They provide their insight on the development financial model and the barriers developers are currently facing. Our guests also highlight how the different levels of government can support the sector.