Ottawa weighs major expansion of the Port of Churchill

Canada is strengthening its Arctic sovereignty and economic interests, putting renewed focus on the strategic northern hub of Churchill, Manitoba.

CHURCHILL -- Ottawa is considering a major expansion of the Port of Churchill that would transform the northern Manitoba facility into a year-round, multi-commodity trade hub, a move residents say could bring jobs back to the remote community and reshape its economic future.

Just off the shore of Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba, the landscape and its wildlife make the town of Churchill a tourism destination.

But those who’ve lived in the remote community long enough, remember the days when the port was a major economic driver.

“Churchill and the port are pretty synonymous with each other,” said Joe Stover, a former port worker who now works in the tourism industry.

“That was going to be my retirement job. I loved working at the port.”

These days, in the dead of winter, movement is slow at the Port of Churchill. It currently operates just four months of the year.

But residents, like Stover, hope that will change.

Ottawa has flagged the port as a transformative project known as the Port of Churchill Plus. The project would upgrade the port to a year-round, multi-commodity hub that would connect Western Canada to the North and the Atlantic through Hudson Bay.

“It would mean everything to get people back to work and have an opportunity for our youth to stay here if they choose and make their make their living here,” Stover said of the project’s potential.

Since jobs at the port slowed, tourism has become the community’s main economic pillar, according to Churchill Chamber of Commerce president Brendan McEwan.

“In a given year, we have upwards of 25,000 visitors that come to Churchill,” he said.

Churchill has a population of less than 1,000 people. The town is only accessible by rail and air.

Tourism employs about 350 people, McEwan said.

While the chamber is excited to learn more about the port project, McEwan said any upgrades would have to strike a balance with the tourism industry.

“We’ve got a lot of research from the area on land, water and we work with some great partners in the community, so I’m really looking forward to having the next conversations of how we can blend this opportunity (with the tourism industry),” McEwan said.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is set to visit Churchill today to hear what residents have to say about the port’s future, which as it stands is still not set in stone.

But the town’s mayor believes now is the time to act.

“You only get one opportunity at times in terms of an investment of this magnitude,” Mayor Mike Spence said.

Potential for the Port of Churchill to become a major trade hub has long been discussed but never fully realized.

Spence says with the current political climate and latest research, this is the most promise he’s seen with possible port upgrades.

“Diversification is critical. It’s key,” he said.

“We can’t succeed on just tourism. We need to be firing on all cylinders.”

Manitoba’s premier will touch down on the frozen tundra Tuesday. His itinerary includes a tourism roundtable, marine conservation funding announcement and a town hall with residents before he plays hockey with some of the local kids.