![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/roshel-brampton-vehicles-1024x576.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nAs Canada gears up to spend 2 per cent of its GDP on defence by the end of this fiscal year, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Roshel has only been in operation for about a decade, but the Brampton-based armoured vehicle manufacturer has left its mark around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoshel\u00a0produced over 2,500 vehicles for Ukraine alone, which made us the largest armoured vehicle manufacturer in the world,\u201d said company founder and CEO Roman Shiminov.<\/p>\n
Roshel has been bidding on some of the federal government\u2019s buy-Canadian programs but says they haven\u2019t had any luck so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re bidding right now on a number of programmes, but so far we weren\u2019t 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,\u201d Shiminov explains. \u201cMany of those countries are buying from a Canadian company, and one of the challenges we have is that we don\u2019t sell to our own government.\u201d<\/p>\n
That could be changing soon. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada\u2019s order for between 1,600 and 2,100 vehicles and four to 500 light utility trailers would be awarded to one of two Canadian companies, and Roshel is in the running.<\/p>\n
Mayor Patrick Brown says Canada\u2019s future focus on defence spending provides a huge opportunity for growth in that sector in the City of Brampton.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince 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,\u201d he tells CityNews.<\/p>\n
Shiminov 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf 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\u2019re talking about starting delivery in 2026. And that\u2019s quite challenging,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the roof and floor; we\u2019re talking about access to labour, access to highways, access to the machinery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tMilitary vehicles are seen inside the Roshel plant in Brampton in this undated photo. CITYNEWS <\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n
![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/google-trusted-badge.png\"){kind=icon}