Manitoba government eyes marine conservation area in western Hudson Bay

CHURCHILL – The Manitoba government announced $250,000 Tuesday toward a possible  conservation area in the waters of western Hudson Bay — the same region that could be home to a future energy pipeline and terminal.

The money is to help support federal consideration of western Hudson Bay as a national marine conservation area. There are already five such areas, including a big stretch of Lake Superior, and the federal government has promised 10 additional marine and four new freshwater conservation areas by 2030.

“These ecosystems are changing rapidly and the need for action has never been more urgent,” Manitoba Environment Minister Mike Moyes said.

Oceans North, an environmental charitable group, said the region is a special ecosystem, home to roughly one-quarter of the world’s beluga whale population.

The announcement comes at a time when the Manitoba government is also promoting expansion of the Port of Churchill. 

Premier Wab Kinew has touted the port as having great potential to boost overseas trade and help defend Arctic sovereignty. He has floated the idea of a western trade corridor through the region, with a possible pipeline carrying energy from the western provinces to Hudson Bay.

Kinew said Tuesday a pipeline and a marine conservation area can coexist.

“For me, the question is always the question of degree,” Kinew said.

“How much is an acceptable impact on the environment? How much of the economic growth that we pursue should we be able to write on the books and how much should we potentially give up in the name of environmental protection? 

“And, you know, if you’re the optimist, how much can you have a win-win where environmental protection actually creates more economic opportunity?”

Chief Darryl Wastesicoot of York Factory First Nation said his community is looking for a balance.

“We want to protect our areas but we also want to make sure that we thrive where we are,” he said.

There was no word on how long it might take for a federal decision on the area.

A Winnipeg-based environmental group said designating western Hudson Bay as a  national marine conservation area would not prohibit a pipeline, terminal and other development.

“Hudson Bay is a highly sensitive remote ecosystem where we can’t do cleanup on the risks … that would be caused by a spill into Hudson Bay,” Eric Reder, of the Wilderness Committee, said. 

Ships capable of responding to a large spill of material such as oil are far away in Quebec, Reder said, and cleaning up oil from a bay that is frozen much of the year adds additional hurdles.

And if the potential pipeline was to carry liquid natural gas, that would present other risks, he said.

— By Steve Lambert in Winnipeg

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2026.