Manitoba’s northern port could strengthen Canada’s trade

Manitoba may be in the middle of the country, but it is a maritime province.

In the province’s north sits Churchill, a subarctic port town on the west shore of Hudson Bay.

The community, a tourism hub for polar bears and beluga whales, is also home to the only deep-water seaport in northern Canada that is connected by land to the rest of the country.

“What we’re really building is trade-enabling infrastructure,” says Chris Avery, CEO of the Arctic Gateway Group. “It allows the vast resources of Western Canada to go to global markets.”

The rail line was shut down in 2017 by then-owners, U.S.-based Omnitrax, after flooding washed out parts of the tracks. Arctic Gateway Group, in consultation with northern and First Nations communities, took ownership of the railway and port in 2018 and relaunched operations.

Port of Churchill to double shipments of critical minerals: Arctic Gateway Group

Churchill’s port, which has mainly been used for grain shipments in the past, began shipping critical minerals last year.

Avery says hundreds of train cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port, which was shipped out this past August. It marked the first shipment of critical minerals in more than two decades.

The group says it plans to double the shipment to 20,000 tonnes this summer and has plans to triple capacity the following year.

“Access from the Port of Churchill includes Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America and even the southeast part of the United States,” says Avery. “There are significant shipping and distance advantages for exporting out of Churchill.”

Shane Hutchins has worked at the Port of Churchill on and off for the last two and a half decades. He says the lack of shipments out of the port has had a significant impact on the community as a whole.

He believes the port could once again become a major Arctic shipping hub.

“It’s a big boom to the economy here,” he says. “It’s just a matter of putting money into the infrastructure again, and that day could become a very realistic reality.”

Federal leaders discuss need to revitalize Arctic on campaign trail

Revitalization of the Arctic, including ports like the one in Churchill, has become a hot topic in recent months.

An aggressive Russia, a persuasive China and an unpredictable United States are forcing Canada’s federal party leaders to tackle Arctic issues head-on.

Mark Carney said he would strengthen Arctic security by investing hundreds of millions to bolster military presence in the North. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising a new military base in Nunavut and says he’s open to the idea of exporting oil out of ports like Churchill.

At a campaign stop in Winnipeg two weeks ago, Poilievre said his plan to export oil from the seaport—either by rail or pipeline—won’t happen under a Liberal government.

“Churchill will never be a big, functioning port if the Liberals get a fourth term in power, because their radical environmental agenda will prevent anything from getting built,” he said.

Any decision to ship oil through the Port of Churchill would require consultation with First Nations and local municipalities.

Federal, Manitoba governments fund redevelopment of Port of Churchill, rail line

Earlier this year, the federal and Manitoba governments committed nearly $80 million to complete work on the Hudson Bay Railway and continue redevelopment of the Port of Churchill.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has previously said the project helps with long-term economic security, especially as Canada’s trade relationship with the United States remains uncertain. Increased conversations and focus on revitalizing the Arctic is welcome news for those living in the North.

“With everything going on, we’ve always stated that the Arctic would play a role,” says Mike Spence, the mayor of Churchill. “It’s taken a long time, and it’s finally happening.”

He says revitalization of the Port of Churchill and rail line would boost the local economy.

“There’s a lot of things that Churchill has that are finally getting recognized and noticed,” he says. “It would revitalize the town and the region. It’s not only Churchill benefitting—it’s the province, and hopefully Western Canada would benefit from greater use of the port and rail line.”