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Infrastructure is top of mind for northern business and community leaders as a multi-day trade show dedicated to the future of Canada’s North gets underway in Winnipeg.
Hundreds of people gathered at the city’s Victoria Inn for the opening of the 2026 Northern Perspectives conference Friday.
The national gathering, which will run until Sunday, focuses on trade, innovation and the region’s future.
“It’s all about investing in Canada’s North,” Churchill Mayor Mike Spence said at the conference. “The opportunities … the lack of investments [has] gone too long.”
Much of the conversation Friday revolved around the growing interest to unlock the economic potential of the region amid tensions with the U.S.
Nunavut Premier John Main, who delivered a keynote speech to get the conference underway, told CBC News that as the federal government increasingly focuses on Arctic security and sovereignty, it needs to make major investments in the region’s poor infrastructure.
“There has been a history of underinvestment in the North and in Nunavut, and the time is now,” Main said.
“Stronger communities, a stronger economy — that’s how we cement Canada’s claim to the North.”
Manitoba cabinet ministers, as well as federal officials, also spoke at the event.
A panel presided over by Nunavut Deputy Premier George Hickes focused on exploring the strategic relationship between Manitoba and the northern territory. The panelists included the CEOs of Calm Air, the Arctic Gateway Group and Nukik Corporation.
Arctic Gateway Group CEO Chris Avery and Nukik Corporation CEO Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin spoke during a panel exploring the strategic relationship between Manitoba and Nunavut. (Travis Golby/CBC)
Arctic Gateway owns and operates the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill.
Nukik Corporation is an Inuit-owned infrastructure company behind a proposed $3.3-billion, 1,200-kilometre transmission line connecting Manitoba’s hydro grid to five Nunavut communities and at least one gold mine.
Main said the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link and Manitoba’s proposed expansion of the Churchill port — both of which are vying for a spot on the federal government’s list of nation-building projects — will be beneficial to both Nunavut and Manitoba.
“We’re living in troubling times, in terms of security and sovereignty, but it’s clear that the time to invest is now, in terms of our federal partners,” Main said.
LISTEN | Premier Wab Kinew gives update on Churchill project:
Information Radio – MB11:30Major North Energy Investments and Municipal Funding Challenges
Premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, speaks with host Marcy Markusa about a potential multi-billion dollar energy corridor in Churchill, disaster financial assistance for Steinbach homeowners, and his stance on municipal tax reform.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said last week, a major Canadian energy company is considering investing in the Churchill project.
On Friday, the premier told Information Radio the province has hired a consultant to assess the economic opportunities of shipping energy products through Churchill.
“We’ve already been doing agriculture and some critical minerals,” he said, adding they are also considering sending supplies to Nunavut.
The consultant will study the options and “try to separate fact from fiction, if you will — which of these is a real economic opportunity?” Kinew said.
Kinew said the province should be able to share more details in the spring.
WATCH | Conference brings northern leaders to Winnipeg:
Northern Perspectives conference brings Nunavut, Manitoba leaders together
The Northern Perspectives 2026 conference is underway in Winnipeg. The goal of the conference is to build stronger relationships between Nunavut and Manitoba and to advocate for more investment to unlock the region’s economic potential.