Premier Wab Kinew to visit Churchill amid port expansion talks

Premier Kinew is travelling to Churchill, Manitoba to explore the potential industrial and energy-based economic opportunities. Allison Bamford reports.

Manitoba’s premier is set to visit Churchill this week to continue conversations around expanding the remote community’s port.

Ahead of the first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa last Thursday, Premier Wab Kinew spoke highly of potential plans to unlock the Port of Churchill as a major sea trade hub.

“Big energy play, defence, environmental protection, Churchill has it all in terms of nation building,” Kinew told reporters last week.

Kinew will fly to the community about 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg this week. He is scheduled to take part in a tourism roundtable and a town hall with community members on Tuesday.

“I’m looking forward to being in Churchill, alongside Arctic Gateway Group, listening to the community about what they want to see for the future of their community and Manitoba’s north,” Kinew told CTV News in a statement.

“It’s important that local voices are at the centre of these conversations.”

The premier will also meet with Indigenous leaders to discuss economic opportunities in the North.

He is also expected to be part of a funding announcement related to marine conservation, which could be threatened if the port is expanded.

Ottawa has flagged the port as a transformative project known as the Port of Churchill Plus. The federal government and Manitoba have co-written a project charter to drive the work forward.

“I think the premier being there is a really important step,” said Chris Avery, CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, the company that owns the port.

The Port of Churchill, which sits on the shores of Hudson Bay, currently operates just four months of the year, from July to October.

It ships supplies to the North and critical minerals to European markets.

According to Avery, research suggests climate change has likely made the port usable for six months of the year, and with the use of icebreakers it has potential to be operational year-round.

Expansions could see the port used for international trade through the Atlantic to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America, according to Avery. It also has potential to serve as a reliable supply chain that could support military presence in the North.

“There’s a huge geographical advantage of using Churchill,” he said, adding the sailing path through the Atlantic would save a significant amount of time compared to the ports in Vancouver.

Manitoba’s premier says one of Canada’s biggest energy companies is interested in the project.

The province is working with Ottawa’s Major Projects Office to hire a consultant and develop a report that will “flesh out the numbers to make this project work,” Kinew said. The report is expected in April.