Port of Churchill celebrates first grain shipment in six years

For the first time since 2020, Prairie grain is scheduled this week to ship out of the Port of Churchill.

Approximately 30,000 tonnes of Canadian durum wheat from Saskatchewan-based AGT Foods is being loaded at the northern Manitoba port and will be shipped to customers in Europe. Stakeholders gathered at the port on Monday to celebrate the milestone.

Federal Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand alluded to the ongoing Canada-United States trade war in her remarks.

“What you’re seeing behind me right now is Team Canada working together,” she said. “We have federal, we have provincial, we have municipal and we have Indigenous governments that are all working together.”

The Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway are owned by OneNorth, a partnership of 29 First Nations and 12 northern communities, and operated by Arctic Gateway Group.

Denver-based OmniTrax, the former owner, closed the deep-water port in 2016, and the railway washed out the following year.

Chartrand speculated what might have happened if the federal government hadn’t brokered a deal in 2018 to transfer the ownership to local hands, which has led to Arctic Gateway and various levels of government working to revitalize the port and rebuild a customer base.

“The people behind us have seen this as an opportunity to rebuild, and to do so through infrastructure that would be owned by northern and Indigenous communities,” she said. “And today that determination is delivering results.”

For War Lake First Nation Chief Betsy Kennedy, seeing the ship and the train cars that delivered the grain to the port was “deeply personal.” She was born in a community along the railway, which has provided jobs for Indigenous people for decades.

“We have federal, we have provincial, we have municipal and we have Indigenous governments that are all working together.”

“This time, the northern First Nations and the northern communities are leading the way,” she said. “We came together to take back control of the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay (Railway).

“My grandfather worked on this railway and so did my father,” she added. “One of the last things they said was they would like the opportunity to own this railway — and I’m glad that I’m here as the witness that we have accomplished that for them.”

Churchill mayor and Arctic Gateway Group board member Mike Spence noted the celebration was taking place on Aug. 31, eight years to the day the federal government reached a deal with OmniTrax.

“It’s a remarkable day,” he said. “We northerners, Indigenous people, are leading the way in making a difference (and showing) that you can take control of your destiny and really have that vision of moving ahead.”

Manitoba’s economic history cannot be told without recognizing the contributions of Indigenous peoples, said Fox Lake Cree Nation chief Morris Beardy.

“For generations, our people have navigated these waters and maintained trade routes and connected communities across the North,” he said. “The Cree (and) the Dene built trade networks and collaborative relationships across the region, sharing their knowledge with the first Europeans and helping communities prosper through mutual respect and co-operation.”

That same spirit is important today, he added. “The Port of Churchill and the rail line that serves it remain critical to northern Manitoba, creating jobs that are driving economic development and connecting Canada to national and international markets.”

Manitoba Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Lisa Naylor said at a time when Canada is facing continued trade uncertainty and growing challenges from the U.S., “there has never been a more important moment” to expand and diversify Canada’s trade opportunities and strengthen the country’s relationships with new markets.

“We know there’s a strong demand for Canadian products around the world and Churchill is uniquely positioned to help connect those products to the global market,” she said.

Chris Avery, president and chief executive officer at Arctic Gateway, said “a lot of tremendous efforts” paved the way for the Port of Churchill’s first grain shipment in six years.

“Today, if this was an American-owned set of infrastructure, we wouldn’t be having this same conversation,” Avery said.

“We came together to take back control of the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay (Railway).”

Arctic Gateway Group announced in a news release Monday it is continuing construction, engineering and modernization work across the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway.

Studies have confirmed year-round shipping operations from the port are possible with existing ice-strengthened vessel technology. Rights-holder consultations and ecological and environmental impact assessments are in the works. Work also continues on refacing and rehabilitation of the port’s wharf, a project that aims to strengthen the long-term integrity and reliability of its marine infrastructure.

Meanwhile, consulting and engineering firm SYSTRA Canada is undertaking engineering work examining the next stage of the railway’s modernization, identifying the improvements required to bring the railway to modern industrial weight standards capable of connecting with Canada’s Class 1 rail network.

Arctic Gateway Group has added an extra weekly freight train run to better support northern communities and growing demand along the corridor. Track rehabilitation and maintenance continues across the network.

The ongoing work and the grain shipment have led to excitement in the Churchill community, said Minister of Agriculture Ron Kostyshyn. He recalled visiting the Port of Churchill a number of times from 2011 to 2016.

“You could see the excitement in the community,” he said. “You could see the excitement of people that were involved working here. And I’ll just sum up by saying, it’s come back. The excitement’s come back to Churchill, to the north and to the people that need to celebrate the … historical event that’s happening today.”

In addition to grain shipments, potash, nickel concentrate and zinc concentrate are also slated to leave the Port of Churchill this year.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca