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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Rebecca Chartrand speaks in the rotunda of the Manitoba Legislative Building to announce a new Manitoba trade alliance and sign a memorandum of understanding, Monday.<\/p>\n
Churchill is, strategically, the gateway to the North, added federal Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand.<\/p>\n
The feds are \u201ccurrently exploring\u201d the area as a potential military base, Chartrand said. She stopped short of making any commitments.<\/p>\n
She, Moses and leaders in attendance were focused on the private sector.<\/p>\n
The new memorandum of understanding outlines single-window access to services. This means Arctic Gateway Group \u2014 owner of the Port of Churchill and its Hudson Bay Railway link \u2014 will co-ordinate with CentrePort Canada and the Winnipeg Airports Authority to move clients\u2019 goods throughout the province.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll three of us plan to act as one office,\u201d said Chris Avery, chief executive of Arctic Gateway. \u201cWhen someone comes to (one of) us, you get all three.\u201d<\/p>\n
The work has already been happening; the three entities talk on a near-daily basis, said Carly Edmundson, CentrePort Canada president.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s only going to continue now that we\u2019ve put some real specific strategy around what we want to achieve together,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just about resilience and optionality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic, labour disputes and environmental catastrophes have contributed to supply chain disruptions over the past decade. Companies are seeking several routes to get their goods to market, Edmundson said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, global trade partnerships continue to shift as the United States slaps tariffs on its allies.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses (right) and Chris Avery, president and CEO, Arctic Gateway Group sign the memorandum of understanding. (Mike Deal \/ Free Press)<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a formal way to tell Canada we are all working together, to make sure that we\u2019re building something strategic,\u201d Edmundson said after signing the memorandum.<\/p>\n Enhancing Foreign Trade Zone access and usage, and supporting the ongoing development of Winnipeg\u2019s inland port, airport and the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway are included in the memorandum.<\/p>\n Moving forward, the WAA plans to invest with the Manitoba ports in mind, said president Nick Hays.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important that we continue to direct our investments in such a way that we\u2019re optimizing for the best outcomes \u2026 rather than optimizing in our own silos,\u201d Hays said.<\/p>\n The WAA is eyeing a new 2.6-million-square-foot development adjacent to Winnipeg\u2019s largest airport, according to a submission it sent Ottawa ahead of the federal budget. It\u2019s seeking government money for such a project.<\/p>\n The WAA has spent the past six years developing a 142,500-sq.-ft. cargo logistics campus.<\/p>\n CentrePort is preparing for another 1,800 acres to come online for development later this year. Sewage and water servicing on the port\u2019s Winnipeg side should be done this fall, Edmundson said.<\/p>\n The 20,000-acre development has seen more than $800 million in construction permits issued over the past 15 years, largely within the Rural Municipality of Rosser. It counts more than three million square feet of buildings.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Arctic Gateway Group has been renovating the Hudson Bay Railway from a washed-out and neglected state. It\u2019s now focusing on upgrading the Port of Churchill.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Nick Hays, president and CEO, Winnipeg Airports Authority (left) and Carly Edmundson, president and CEO, CentrePort Canada Inc., sign the memorandum of understanding. (Mike Deal \/ Free Press)<\/p>\n The new memorandum of understanding is a good signal to businesses inside and outside Manitoba, said Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cWhat it says to all those communities is we are more than just a collection of assets,\u201d Remillard said. \u201c(It) is a thoughtful supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n The agreement bolsters Manitoba\u2019s pitch that Ottawa pursue the Port of Churchill Plus project that expedites the corridor\u2019s expansion, Remillard added.<\/p>\n Arctic Gateway Group has been in talks with the federal defence department, Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard for \u201ca long time now,\u201d Avery said.<\/p>\n Churchill is \u201ca great asset for us to shore up our Arctic and northern defences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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