Latest news with #PortOfChurchill
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Manitoba and Saskatchewan sign agreement to boost trade corridor through the Arctic
HUNTSVILLE, ONT. — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was hopeful after meeting Tuesday with the prime minister and other premiers about the potential for a large Arctic trade corridor through the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay. But some provinces are also supporting a trade route through a port on James Bay in northern Ontario that would also serve the Arctic. The two megaprojects are among many being pitched as part of a national effort to diversify trade and protect the Canadian economy from U.S. tariffs. The governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan signed a memorandum to expand trade through Churchill in a five-year deal that also includes Arctic Gateway Group, which owns the port and the northern rail line that leads to it. Material shipped through the port can reach Europe and other destinations. The company has agreed to expand freight capacity and lengthen the shipping season, which is currently severely limited by ice. Saskatchewan has committed to mobilizing commodity producers and exporters through its trade offices. And Manitoba will lead efforts to secure federal infrastructure funding and regulatory support. Kinew, who has said the trade corridor could also include a pipeline for energy from the west and a transmission line to move Manitoba hydroelectricity in the other direction, told reporters Tuesday the project could go ahead without federal financial support. "We would absolutely love to have the federal government as an enthusiastic partner. I think they will be very, very supportive of the megaproject we're seeking to build," Kinew said. "But the partners that we need are the collective Indigenous nations in Manitoba." The Ontario government, meanwhile, signed a memorandum with Alberta and Saskatchewan that calls for new rail lines to be built to help ship critical minerals from yet-to-be-approved mines in the Ring of Fire to Western Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the agreement focuses on shipping western oil to refineries in southern Ontario and a new deep-sea port in James Bay. Kinew said he didn't want to pit his province against another. But he said the Manitoba project has advantages: an existing port, Indigenous participation through the owners of the existing port and railway, and consultations on possible expansions. "It just so happens that our approach in Manitoba involves extensive legwork with the Indigenous nations at the front end of the project process." — By Steve Lambert in Winnipeg This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Port of Churchill ownership signs agreement with Manitoba, Saskatchewan to create Arctic trade corridor
The Port of Churchill's ownership group has signed an agreement with the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments to create a renewed Arctic trade corridor in northern Manitoba. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe say they've signed an agreement with Arctic Gateway Group to upgrade infrastructure, modernize supply chains and increase access to global markets through the Port of Churchill, the Manitoba government said in a news release on Tuesday. The port, which has a brief operating window each summer, is owned and operated by Arctic Gateway Group, a partnership of dozens of First Nations and Hudson Bay communities. The premiers made the announcement Tuesday during the first ministers' meeting in Ontario's Muskoka region, where the premiers are discussing their own response to the Canada-U.S. trade war. A five-year road map is outlined in the memorandum of understanding, which the province of Manitoba says formalizes a shared commitment to invest in the port and connected railway to lengthen the shipping season, support boosted freight capacity and activate trade networks. Arctic Gateway will invest in the port and railway to lengthen the shipping season and support heightened freight capacity, while Saskatchewan will ready commodity producers and exporters, as Manitoba leads efforts to secure federal funding and regulatory support for the site, the release says. Shortly after the Liberals won a minority government in last April's federal election, Kinew sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney to pitch five major resource projects in the province that could be fast-tracked. At the top of Kinew's list was a project he called the "One Canada Trade Corridor," which would create a potential hub for critical minerals and fossil fuel exports through northern Manitoba's Port of Churchill to diversify Canada's trade relationships. The Hudson Bay port, accessed via the Arctic Gateway railway system, promotes itself as the shortest link from the Prairies to the Atlantic Ocean, offering access to the Arctic, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Talks of critical mineral exploration and potential oil shipments in northern Manitoba aren't new, but Kinew has been increasingly vocal about a renewed case for the port as a way to ease trade tensions with the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office last January. In recent years, the federal and provincial governments have invested millions of dollars in the railway line and port as a way to secure a trade route through Hudson Bay and the Arctic to overseas markets. The port recently added a second weekly freight train on the Hudson Bay Railway and tripled its critical mineral storage capacity.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Infrastructure upgrades on the way for Port of Churchill
The Port of Churchill – the country's only Arctic seaport serviced by rail – is undergoing some major upgrades. Arctic Gateway Group, the owner and operator of the port, announced the enhancements on Tuesday, saying the changes will expand freight operations, strengthen the trade corridor and refresh the port. The upgrades include a second weekly wayfreight train operating along the Hudson Bay Railway and a new critical mineral storage facility that will triple the port's storage capacity. In the coming months, modernization work will also begin at the port, including refacing the wharf. 'The Port of Churchill is primed to become a major Canadian trade asset,' said Chris Avery, CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, in a news release. 'The investments we are making are setting the stage for a new era of growth and Northern economic activity, unlocking the trade and transportation potential of Canada's Arctic Trade Corridor to better serve the Canadian national interest.' Arctic Gateway Group also announced the first Arctic supply ship of the season arrived at the port over the weekend, loading up construction equipment, essential goods and building materials to be exported to Nunavut.
Globe and Mail
02-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Arctic Gateway Group says the Port of Churchill will help diversify Canada's trade links to other countries
Less than a year into his new job as CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, Chris Avery is finding himself overseeing what is quickly emerging as a critical cog in fighting the Trump-era trade war. AGG, which operates the Port of Churchill and the connecting Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) in northern Manitoba, strategically links Western Canada to Arctic waters and from there offers routes to Europe, South America and the Middle East. The company is aiming to become a vital link between Canada and emerging Arctic routes to help boost interprovincial and overseas trade and to reduce reliance on the United States. 'We're proud that we're part of the national solution … and are supporting our response to what's happening in the U.S.,' said Mr. Avery, who was named chief executive officer last July. 'I think it's really been a great wake-up call to say we need options and we can't be dependent on the U.S., even though they are our closest neighbor and our largest trading partner.' Stretching for 1,000 kilometres from The Pas in central Manitoba to Churchill on Hudson Bay's western shores, the HBR is also a lifeline for 33,000 people living in isolated areas with limited road access, said Hicham Ayoun, senior communications adviser at Transport Canada. The Port of Churchill, Canada's only deep-water Arctic port connected to mainland, ships goods such as critical minerals, construction equipment and agricultural and energy products to Southern Nunavut's Kivalliq region and the rest of the world. Mr. Avery said the Arctic trade route can slash global shipping times. 'The way that the sea lanes are set up and where the port is … allows you to reduce shipping days by upwards of two to three days, versus going to the East Coast or going through the Great Lakes and up the St Lawrence River and so on.' In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney in early May, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew touted the crucial role the Port of Churchill can play in the Canadian economy and in Arctic security. The letter said the port is at the core of the One Canada Trade Corridor project, which is one of the five initiatives Manitoba is pitching to the federal government to expand Canada's energy exports and critical minerals development through newly constructed all-weather roads and rail links. HBR and Port of Churchill were previously operated by Denver-based Omnitrax Inc., beginning in 1997. But following a flood in May, 2017, the U.S. company refused to repair a stretch of rail, leading to a legal dispute with the Canadian government over responsibility for the costs. The impasse left Northern communities without rail service and facing skyrocketing prices for goods delivered by plane. The port and railway were returned to Canadian hands in August, 2018. A partnership of OneNorth – a group of 29 First Nations and 12 communities in Manitoba and Nunavut – and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired them from Omnitrax and commenced repairs, supported by federal funds. The Churchill community welcomed back the first train in November, 2018, after 18 months of shutdown. Fairfax left the partnership two years later, leaving OneNorth the sole owner of AGG, owned by a partnership of 29 First Nations and 12 communities in Manitoba and Nunavut, Mr. Avery said. 'Americans sitting in Denver really didn't care that Churchill or Indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba were cut off from the South. But our ownership group live and work in the communities … So they will ensure that the infrastructure is invested again in the future,' he said. Mr. Avery said the company currently employs 150 workers, with more opportunities expected as it expands its operations. The relaunch of the railway and the port have also strengthened the local economy, benefiting tourism and mining, and allowing people to 'live close to their communities … support their families, and have a good standard of living,' he said. AGG is still working to upgrade the infrastructure after decades of neglect by Omnitrax. AGG's updates have already reduced travel time by 10 per cent, a saving of three hours between The Pas and Churchill, according to the group's 2024 progress report. Mr. Avery noted that about 80 per cent of repairs for the HBR are complete. 'We've invested a lot of capital into the railway, so we're very much open for business now. The railway is probably in better condition than it's been for the past 25 years.' He added that AGG is currently focusing on upgrading and expanding the port, investing in repairing wharfs and decks and conducting analysis to understand how to accommodate larger vessels. The company marked a milestone in August with the first shipment of critical minerals from the port. This included around 10,000 tons of zinc concentrate from Snow Lake, Man., loaded onto the HBR and cargo vessels, and destined for Belgium. The group is building a new storage facility to ramp up critical mineral shipments, 'the first new building at the Port after decades of neglect,' according to the report. Mr. Avery said Europe is a critical minerals major market for AGG. The group plans to transport up to 20,000 tonnes of minerals this year, including potash for food production. New exports will also include sand used in new technologies such as solar panels. Construction equipment, trucks and building materials are instead on the list for Nunavut communities. The company also plans to make agricultural products a staple of its trade activities, and is currently conducting talks with several partners, Mr. Avery said. AGG signed recent agreements with Saskatchewan-based Invest Tisdale and Genesis Fertilizer to move grain and fertilizer products across Canada and expand their markets beyond the U.S. through the Arctic route. Mr. Avery also wants the port to serve Western farmers who are importing products such as phosphate from trading partners beyond the southeastern states of the U.S. to avoid tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. 'What the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay railway offer is the ability for companies and Canadian farmers to import phosphates from North Africa or the Middle East to Churchill and from Churchill directly to the Western Canadian provinces and our farmers.' The group's future operations involve more than just commercial aspects. He said AGG is also talking with the Department of Defence about transporting supplies and goods to northern military bases through Churchill's airport. The CEO said Transport Canada operates the airport, but AGG has access to its facilities and infrastructure. The federal government announced in March it will invest $175-million over five years to support railway maintenance, enhance the port's security and operations, and encourage potential private investments with the group. 'It is a huge set of infrastructure that helps us assert our sovereignty in the North,' Mr. Avery said. 'These things that we're building are nation-building by nature and also generational by nature because it's not just for the next year or two, it means for our kids' generation and their kids' generation.'
