Canada's Secretary of State for Sport, Adam van Koeverden, visited the Roustan Sports headquarters and was impressed by the production lines for hockey sticks and hand-crafted watercraft paddles.
Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport, visited the Roustan Sports headquarters in Brantford, Ont., on Friday, Oct. 2.
The four-time Olympic medallist, who won gold in Athens in 2024 in sprint kayaking, was thrilled to see the production lines for hockey sticks and, in particular, hand-crafted watercraft paddles. Grey Owls Paddles, the No. 1 brand in Canada, was purchased in 2025 by Roustan Sports owner W. Graeme Roustan, who also owns The Hockey News.
In addition to a factory tour accompanied by staff and media, van Koeverden also met privately with W. Graeme Roustan and TRUE Sports president Geoff Sarjeant.
The subject of discussion was Canada’s new Productivity Mega Deduction (PMD), one of the most significant changes to the nation’s business tax system in half a century. The new program is designed to drive growth and help Canadian businesses invest in new equipment, adopt new technology, and expand operations.
The announcement, made before Roustan Sports employees in Brantford, aligns with the company’s growth plans to compete at home and worldwide.
“I am proud to be the steward of the last hockey stick factory in Canada, which also produces another iconic Canadian product, the handcrafted paddle,” said W. Graeme Roustan.
John-Paul Danko, Adam van Koeverden, and Geoff Sarjeant. “I am confident that our workers, who first started at our facility in 1847, will benefit from the new Productivity Mega Deduction as we continue to utilize state of the art equipment and expertise to expand our facilities across Canada, and our export markets around the world.”
This marked the second visit from a Canadian government leader in just over a month. Toronto Centre MP Evan Solomon, who serves the dual roles of Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, spent over two hours at Roustan Sports on Aug. 31.
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