Karl Clark | Great Canadian Builders The man who invented the oil sands

And a bog they would have remained had human ingenuity not discovered how to separate the oil from the sand.

Full story from Nicolas Krause: www.buildcanada.com/great-canadi...

Karl Clark is a Great Canadian Builder

Before the oil sands were a place in northern Alberta where over $500B was spent to unlock the trapped wealth, before they provided jobs to Canadians far and wide, and before they provided billions each year in royalties to government, they were a bog.

📥 Between rhetoric and reality

All about the Davos speech in this week's newsletter. In your inbox or available here: buildcanada.substack.com/p/the-carney...

Here is what they should do: refocus the SUV on quality by privileging credible investment-backed cases, eliminate the pure incubator pathway, and accelerate processing.

Read the full memo now: www.buildcanada.com/memos/canada...

In 2026, the Canadian government announced they would be re-structuring the program. This is an opportunity to once again become top of mind for the best entrepreneurs in the world.

Today, current SUV applications are faced with a 10 year processing wait time, and the program is closed for new applications. If Canada wants to stay competitive it must reverse this situation.

The scale of this fraud was significant. “Consultants” regularly charged thousands to help people avoid the appropriate scrutiny. One fraudster scammed four families out of over a million dollars. These scams broke the system.

Over time though it became clear that the last of these streams, the incubator endorsement, created a loophole in the immigration system. Underqualified entrepreneurs could use second-rate, low quality, or fraudulent incubators to fast track PR.

One of these programs was the specialist Start-Up Visa (SUV) created in 2013 to attract top talent — applicants were approved based on support by designated venture capital funds, angel investor groups, or acceptance into business incubator programs.

Historically, Canada has been effective in this competition welcoming entrepreneurs from around the world and creating specific visa pathways to come work in the country.

Don't Wait to Bring the Best to Canada

Top entrepreneurs are the most important resource for building new businesses, developing new technology and growing the economy. These entrepreneurs are globally mobile and countries compete to attract and retain the best.

The Keevil Dynasty | Great Canadian Builders Building Canada's Mining Powerhouse

His son, Dr. Norman B. Keevil Jr, would then go on to broaden the company beyond copper and gold into other metals, turning Teck into Canada's largest diversified mining companies.

Full story from Ferdous: www.buildcanada.com/great-canadian-builders/the-keevil-dynasty

The Keevil Family are Great Canadian Builders

Dr. Norman Keevil Sr, born on a Saskatchewan farm, became an expert in geophysics. He pioneered airborne magnetic surveying technology and started Teck Resources, a successful mining company.

"The powerful have their power. But we have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together. That is Canada’s path. We choose it openly and confidently. And it is a path wide open to any country willing to take it with us."

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📥 Canada in space. Carney in China.

All the goings in our latest newsletter. In your inbox or available here: buildcanada.substack.com/p/space-is-t...

Build Canada's Business Future Economic growth is driven by the creation of new companies and investments by existing companies. But in the last decade company formation and investment in Canada has collapsed.

If Canada copies that creativity to reform corporate tax to only tax profits taken out of a business rather than profits that are reinvested it could change the environment for company formation and investment overnight.

Read the full memo: www.buildcanada.com/memos/corpor...

Countries from Ireland and Singapore to Estonia have proven this by using a competitive and creative corporate tax regime to attract huge foreign investments and local company formation.

It is not a coincidence that Canadian company investments have shrunk since the US made its corporate tax regime more competitive compared to Canada in 2017.

The single most powerful lever to resolve this situation is corporate tax reform. Research spanning more than half a century has confirmed repeatedly that corporate taxes are the most harmful tax type for growth and in particular for company formation and investment.

Instead of chasing companies with cheques or picking winners and losers, Canada must build a business environment that attracts them naturally.

The current federal approach of offering subsidies to individual companies, one deal at a time, to bribe them to set up offices and factories in the country cannot reverse this trend.

In Q2 2025, Statistics Canada recorded a $43.7 billion capital outflow, the largest since 2007. Today, for every dollar foreign investors put into Canada, Canadians send $2.17 abroad.

Why Companies Won't Invest in Canada

Canada’s economic dynamism depends on company formation and investment but in the last decade every metric in this area has been moving in the wrong direction.

Understanding Canada: Vancouver's Housing Market · Luma Canadians Dissecting Canadian Challenges This session is being held in Vancouver, BC. A big thank you to our partners at Global Relay and Launch Academy for…

Come listen, read, and learn with @russilwvong.bsky.social to unpack and explore Vancouver’s housing struggles.

Hosted by @buildcanada.com

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luma.com/8kg10d3y

Jim Pattison | Great Canadian Builders An empire built on honesty and hard work

At 97 years old, he's still Chairman and CEO, and has given no indication that he’s ever slowing down.

Full story from Owen Gartner: www.buildcanada.com/great-canadi...

In addition to being one of the most successful businessmen, he's also one of the most generous. The Pattison Foundation was Canada’s 8th largest giver of charitable grants, funding hospitals throughout BC and Saskatchewan.

Jim Pattison is a Great Canadian Builder

After minor success selling used cars for others, he made a bet on himself, selling his home and life insurance policy to open up his own Pontiac dealership. 25 years later, Pattison was selling more cars than anyone in Western Canada.

📥 What Canadian oil means for global emissions

New newsletter in your inbox or available here: buildcanada.substack.com/p/frozen-pipes

Canada used to have an immigration system that was the envy of the world. Our points-based system prioritised based on people's contributions.

But in recent years, we've prioritised French speakers over all else.

We need to refocus on talent-based immigration: buildcanada.com/memos/talent...

Great to see publications previously critical of Build Canada now recognize the need to build