Brampton-based Roshel in the mix as Canada narrows search for armoured vehicle fleet

As Canada gears up to spend 2 per cent of its GDP on defence by the end of this fiscal year, it’s investing nearly $5 billion in a new fleet of armoured and unarmoured land utility vehicles. CityNews has learned only two bids remain on the table and one of them is local.

Roshel has only been in operation for about a decade, but the Brampton-based armoured vehicle manufacturer has left its mark around the world.

“Roshel produced over 2,500 vehicles for Ukraine alone, which made us the largest armoured vehicle manufacturer in the world,” said company founder and CEO Roman Shimonov.

The Roshel Senator series is entirely made in Canada and can be converted from vehicles suited for policing and border patrol to military grade in just hours. “The unique part of this vehicle is you can swap the doors and windshieds to full armoured doors,” Shimonov explains.

Roshel has been bidding on some of the federal government’s buy-Canadian programs but says they haven’t had any luck so far.

“We’re bidding right now on a number of programmes, but so far we weren’t able to sell to our own government. One hundred per cent of our product is being exported; our closest allies are buying from a Canadian company, including the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and many other countries,” Shimonov explains. “Many of those countries are buying from a Canadian company, and one of the challenges we have is that we don’t sell to our own government.”

That could be changing soon. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada’s order for between 1,600 and 2,100 vehicles and 400 to 500 light utility trailers would be awarded to one of two Canadian companies, and Roshel is in the running.

It’s on scale with the $2 billion contract awarded to London, Ont.’s General Dynamics last week; a contract that will create and maintain thousands of jobs in southwestern Ontario but whose company’s headquarters are ultimately in the U.S. Roshel’s headquarters are in Brampton.

Mayor Patrick Brown says Canada’s future focus on defence spending provides a huge opportunity for growth in that sector in the City of Brampton.

“Since Prime Minister Carney committed to Canada meeting our NATO defence spending commitments, it means a lot of opportunity for defence companies, and we are hoping that we can see a defence sector grow in Brampton and obviously this is a huge one,” he tells CityNews.

Shimonov adds that the Roshel plant is already at capacity, and getting the Canadian contract will mean more than just a physical expansion of the business.

“If we get the award for the Light Utility Vehicle Programme, we will be able to create thousands of jobs, and not in a few years. We’re talking about starting delivery in 2026. And that’s quite challenging,” he says.

“We’re the only company, not just in Canada, but in the world that can start delivering this year. We’re the only company with thousands of vehicles in combat operation. We’re 100% Canadian company, so when it comes to buy Canadian policy, we would expect the government to choose real Canadian companies and not companies that promise to become Canadian, subject to getting the award.”

Shimonov says Roshel already operates 24/7 with its 400,000 square feet of manufacturing and research and development space, but landing the contract means it will have to expand quickly. He’s already started looking for production-ready space. 

“It’s not just about the roof and floor; we’re talking about access to labour, access to highways, access to the machinery.”