Former AFN grand chief Ovide Mercredi named to Arctic Gateway Group board

Ovide Mercredi of Winnipeg is invested as an officer of the Order of Canada by former governor general Michaelle Jean on behalf of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

WINNIPEG — A former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations has joined the board of Arctic Gateway Group, the organization that runs The Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba.

Ovide Mercredi, who is also a recipient of the Order of Canada, says he wants to ensure that First Nations and northern communities benefit from major development.

The Manitoba government is pitching expansion of the railway and port as a nation-building project that would boost Arctic sovereignty and allow more goods to be shipped to Europe and beyond.

Premier Wab Kinew has said a major energy company is considering investing in the area, which could lead to a pipeline.

The federal government is considering the port and rail enhancements as one of its strategic infrastructure projects.

Arctic Gateway Group is owned by 41 First Nations and northern communities.

“Ovide Mercredi is a nation builder in every sense of the word, and we’re honoured to have him join the AGG board,” Mike Spence, the company’s chair and mayor of Churchill, said in a press release Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.