Arctic path to ‘our economic sovereignty’

The Port of Churchill will receive its own business development “SWAT team,” Canada’s energy and natural resources minister announced Friday.

Tim Hodgson addressed dozens of Manitoba business leaders and politicians at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on Friday afternoon.

The province’s northern port is a priority to Ottawa, Hodgson relayed during a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event.

Its expansion is among the country’s nation-building projects “in earlier stages of development (that) require further resources,” he added.

As such, it’s been assigned a business development “SWAT team” inside Ottawa’s major projects office. Hodgson didn’t share details about the initiative.

“(They’re) focused on working with proponents to turn big ideas into economic realities that achieve growth, security, diversification of markets and reconciliation,” Hodgson’s speech, shared with the Free Press, reads.

The Port of Churchill has been touted as a deepwater access point to markets like Europe. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew pitched it to Prime Minister Mark Carney as a project worthy of federal government attention.

On Thursday, the feds unveiled five projects to be considered for quick approvals through its new major projects office. The Port of Churchill was not on the list.

Instead, the port’s expansion — plus an icebreaker for Hudson Bay and an all-weather road — is on the roster for a second round of fast-tracking.

It joins six other strategies to be advanced by the major projects office’s SWAT teams.

“The expansion of the Port of Churchill — a gateway not just to the Arctic, but to our economic sovereignty … I am proud, and I’m determined, to see this through,” Hodgson said.

A winter-resilient port could export LNG, potash, critical minerals and grain, he relayed.

He highlighted the port’s Indigenous ownership: Arctic Gateway Group owns the site and is comprised of 29 First Nations and 12 northern communities.

An expanded port would generate more than $1 billion in annual economic activity, reduce Canada’s reliance on a single energy corridor and provide an alternative to East and West Coast routes, Hodgson said.

Chris Avery, chief executive of Arctic Gateway Group, expressed excitement about working with the major projects office.

“If you think of the term ‘SWAT team,’ what does that denote? To me, it denotes a sense of urgency and a sense of importance,” Avery said. “That’s perfect.”

Arctic Gateway took ownership of the port and the Hudson Bay Railway — which connects Churchill to The Pas — in 2018. It’s spent the last seven years revitalizing the neglected infrastructure.

The rail line is as good as it’s been in 30 years, Avery said. Next, Arctic Gateway is planning to study “what it would take” to handle the gross weight, length and speed of trains servicing Canada’s two largest ports (in Vancouver and Montreal).

Modernizing the Churchill port — and understanding what facilities future customers will need — is an ongoing task, Avery noted.

The Port of Vancouver logged 158 million metric tonnes of cargo through its port last year, hitting a record. It’s reached capacity, Hodgson said, adding the Port of Montreal is nearing its max.

“Creating a third port — a port that would actually be the closest to northern Europe — is a big idea,” he said.

Business development SWAT teams will also tackle a critical minerals supply chain review, wind resource development in the Atlantic provinces and “Pathways Plus,” an Alberta carbon capture and storage proposal.

The teams will help develop an “Arctic economic and security corridor” that includes all-weather road infrastructure and a new port; the Alto High-Speed Rail, Canada’s first high-speed railway connecting Toronto to Quebec City; and a Canadian “sovereign cloud” to build computing capacity and data centres.

“As the prime minister said this week, what is happening in the global economy is not a transition. It is a rupture,” Hodgson said.

“We need to fundamentally change the way we do things. We’re not just looking for Band-Aid solutions.”

Co-ordinating with Ottawa’s major projects office is a process that “needs to be done,” said Churchill Mayor Mike Spence. “We’re prepared to do our part, and by putting the package together to make it work, we’ll get there.”

Both Kinew and Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, spoke positively on Friday about the energy minister’s announcement.

“Cutting-edge stuff” like ice breakers will be required going forward, Kinew said, adding he welcomes federal investment of time and resources.

Ottawa appears to be approaching major projects with a business mindset — one using due diligence to ensure necessary pieces are in place, Remillard said. “It speaks to the transformation this government is bringing to political office.”

The Port of Churchill is Canada’s only deepwater Arctic port connected to a North American surface transportation network.

Zinc concentrate shipped through the northern port this summer. University of Manitoba researchers are studying the Hudson Bay’s shipping potential; results likely won’t be published for another year.

The federal and provincial government have spent millions of dollars on the northern hub’s restoration. Ottawa has invested at least $277 million over the past six years on the port and railway.

— with files from Scott Billeck

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com