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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arctic Gateway Group touts upgrades to northern Manitoba railway, Port of Churchill
The Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill are doubling the number of weekly freight trains and tripling storage capacity of critical minerals at Canada's only deepwater Arctic port. 'It's about making sure Churchill is ready to serve Canadians as a major Arctic hub for trade and supply,' said Arctic Gateway Group CEO Chris Avery, the head of the company that's owned by 29 First Nations and the northern communities it serves. 'The country is actively exploring how we build and secure projects of national importance, and the Port of Churchill is very much part of that conversation.' New federal legislation fast-tracks infrastructure projects deemed to be in the 'national interest' after U.S. President Donald Trump upended that country's reliable trading relationship with Canada. SUPPLIED Last summer, rail cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port — marking the first shipment of a critical mineral from Churchill in more than 20 years. This year, they planned to double that amount. SUPPLIED Last summer, rail cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port — marking the first shipment of a critical mineral from Churchill in more than 20 years. This year, they planned to double that amount. Premier Wab Kinew has lobbied for one of those projects to be in Manitoba, and supports an energy and critical minerals trade corridor to Hudson Bay. Fox Lake Cree Nation's subsidiary, NeeStaNan, proposes to build an Arctic port south of Churchill, at Port Nelson, to export liquefied natural gas and other products to Europe. When asked if he's concerned about another port becoming an option in Manitoba, Avery pointed to the benefits of the Churchill location: its port is open for business, the town has infrastructure and services, including a hospital, a 9,200-foot runway that can accommodate any size aircraft, and a rail line that connects the port to the rest of North America. The first Arctic supply ship of the season was being loaded with essential goods, building material and construction equipment Tuesday, destined for the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, he said. 'I'm sure that there are lots of people in the Kivalliq region today who are waiting for their brand-new trucks and vehicles.' JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The port has tripled the size of its storage facility for critical minerals and other bulk material, and is being upgraded to diversify the goods it can handle and increase shipping traffic. The port has tripled the size of its storage facility for critical minerals and other bulk material, and is being upgraded to diversify the goods it can handle and increase shipping traffic. He said Arctic Gateway Group has a long-standing relationship with Kivalliq communities and partnerships in place for expanded growth. They're establishing a reliable transportation corridor for Canada's North that serves the trade, transportation, and security needs of a changing Arctic, he said. The addition of a second weekly freight train is more than just a schedule change, Avery said. 'It reflects the fact that the railway is in the best condition that it's been in for over 25 years.' The rail line was sold to Americans, who then refused to repair it after flooding in 2017 washed out sections of rail bed. It was purchased by northern communities that rely on it, and has required governments to invest millions of dollars to get it in good shape. New technologies, including drone surveillance, ground-penetrating radar and AI-driven data analysis 'are helping us monitor conditions in real time and take actions before problems emerge,' said Avery. Ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's Indigenous summit Thursday, a group of 10 Manitoba First Nations formally expressed support for a proposed energy trade corridor to ship liquefied natural gas from Port Nelson on Hudson Bay. 'Nation-building projects that will fall under the purview of the One Canadian Economy Act offer tremendous opportunities for our First Nations,' Chemawawin Cree Nation Chief and Assini Group Inc. president Clarence Easter said in a news release. Ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney's Indigenous summit Thursday, a group of 10 Manitoba First Nations formally expressed support for a proposed energy trade corridor to ship liquefied natural gas from Port Nelson on Hudson Bay. 'Nation-building projects that will fall under the purview of the One Canadian Economy Act offer tremendous opportunities for our First Nations,' Chemawawin Cree Nation Chief and Assini Group Inc. president Clarence Easter said in a news release. 'This is why we formally support the development of a trade route and utility corridor to Hudson Bay, in full partnership with Fox Lake Cree Nation, NeeStaNan, and other interested Treaty 5 and 6 Nations, as a means of advancing economic self-determination, regional prosperity, and sustainable development.' NeeStaNan has received federal approval to explore exporting liquefied natural gas, and proposes building a transport facility at Port Nelson, south of Churchill. The Assini Group Inc. First Nation partners include Bunibonibee Cree Nation, Chemawawin Cree Nation, Norway House Cree Nation, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, God's Lake Narrows First Nation, Marcel Colomb Cree Nation, Mosakahiken Cree Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and Fox Lake Cree Nation. 'We have been moving forward to establish economic development in our communities and we see this summit as a first conversation with the Government of Canada to unlock the potential that exists for our communities, our elders and our youth,' Easter said. The news release followed an Arctic Gateway Group news conference Tuesday, touting investments and upgrades in its Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill for shipping bulk commodities, such as critical minerals and supplies to the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. 'Both sites show they could have good potential, noting they deal with separate market opportunities,' said Robert Parsons, a supply chain expert who teaches at the University of Manitoba. He said Arctic Gateway Group is focused on what Churchill has done and can do, acting as an export point for a range of bulk-solid products, including grains, potash, and mineral ore concentrates, which it has experience handling. It's also a supply and distribution point for goods to communities on the Hudson Bay coast, including Nunavut. It could serve as an export point to international markets for critical minerals where Canada — which has lagged behind other countries in developing them — has an advantage. '(It) will depend on solid, economically viable critical-mineral projects in the region and on their associated business cases,' said Parsons, who has master degrees in business administration and chemical engineering. Churchill, he said, is not really suitable for gaseous or liquid export products, especially anything classified as dangerous goods. It does act as a distribution point for fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and propane, but in distribution quantities, not export quantities. — Carol Sanders The port has tripled the size of its storage facility for critical minerals and other bulk material, and is being upgraded to diversify the goods it can handle and increase shipping traffic, the CEO said. 'We're also in talks with other organizations about potentially storing other materials in that facility — whether it's things such as phosphates coming from Europe or potash coming from the south,' he said. Last summer, rail cars carried 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate to the port — marking the first shipment of a critical mineral from Churchill in more than 20 years. This year, they planned to double that amount, Avery said. 'I think we've unloaded something like 60 carloads of zinc concentrate already in Churchill and there's more on the way.' Wildfires in northern Manitoba this summer have put a crimp on shipments from Hudbay Minerals' Snow Lake mine, which had to close temporarily owing to mandatory evacuations. 'Those are headwinds for us, but those are really short-term things,' Avery said. 'We're working with our partners to meet their needs and… we expect to be there for them as they continue to produce critical minerals,' he said. 'This is a big deal for Manitoba, Nunavut and Western Canada — regions rich in mineral resources that the world needs,' said Avery. 'Churchill is ready to be part of Canada's critical mineral solution, helping producers move their product to markets efficiently and reliably.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Premier steadfastly behind big energy projects in face of criticism
Minutes after declaring the second wildfire state of emergency this summer, Premier Wab Kinew stood by his support for the development of an energy corridor through Manitoba, even as the climate crisis forces thousands to flee their homes. 'If we want a stronger ability to be climate resilient in the future, we've got to pay the bills,' Kinew said at the wildfire briefing Thursday. 'If we want stronger health care and education, we've got to have the hard hats building big projects,' said the premier. Kinew has promoted 'nation-building projects' such as a proposal by Fox Lake Cree Nation that has received temporary federal approval to look at exporting liquefied natural gas to Europe from Port Nelson on Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba. Manitoba's first Indigenous premier came under fire in a Globe and Mail opinion piece Saturday headlined Wab Kinew's development dreams threaten our people's way of life, which was written by author, environmentalist and Mathais Colomb Cree Nation member Clayton Thomas-Müller. 'I was a little amused to see that headline while I was on a sundance ceremony over the weekend,' Kinew said Thursday. Thomas-Müller wrote it was 'jarring and triggering' to hear a fellow Indigenous person promoting an energy and trade corridor to ship fossil fuels during the climate crisis. When asked how in good conscience he could support big energy projects as Manitoba burns, Kinew fired back. 'Every fire engine that I've seen, every flight carrying an evacuee, every chainsaw that a firefighter is using during this wildfire season has been powered with conventional energies,' the premier said, adding fossil fuels will be a part of life for the foreseeable future. 'This is who we are today and there is definitely a path forward to be able to develop our economy while still practising our way of life — whether we're talking about our way of life as a contemporary Canadian or also as an Indigenous person,' said the premier, who often touts the untapped economic potential of Manitoba's vast critical minerals. New federal legislation fast-tracks certain infrastructure projects deemed to be in the 'national interest' after U.S. President Donald Trump upended the reliable trading relationship with Canada. In June, Fox Lake Cree Nation's majority-owned subsidiary NeeStaNan received authorization from the Canada Energy Regulator to export liquefied natural gas. The two-year federal approval allows the proponents to approach potential partners, investors and other parties with materials to suggest they have a real project under consideration. 'Approval received does not mean that we are going to have LNG exports tomorrow,' said Robert Parsons, who teaches supply chain management at the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business. 'Instead, it is a starting point.' NeeStaNan signed a memorandum of understanding with Northern Prince LNG to assess the development of an LNG export terminal near Port Nelson, on the western shore of Hudson Bay. The feasibility of a year-round facility handling energy exports as well as bulk commodities such as ore, potash, grain and containers is under review. The project would require the construction of a 150-kilometre heavy rail spur to connect the port with Hudson Bay Railway near Gillam. 'There would be a need for lots of infrastructure, including pipelines, liquefaction and port facilities, all needing separate environmental approvals,' said Parsons, who holds master's degrees in chemical engineering and business administration. 'We already know from facilities on the West Coast that these projects do take quite a bit of time,' he said. The Port Nelson proposal is 'realistic,' said the expert. 'Every fire engine that I've seen, every flight carrying an evacuee, every chainsaw that a firefighter is using during this wildfire season has been powered with conventional energies.'–Premier Wab Kinew It's a better location than the port in Churchill because it is south of the permafrost line and much closer to major infrastructure, Parsons said. Unlike crude oil or bitumen, the consequences of accidents involving LNG are less severe, and is in demand as a 'realistic' transition fuel to reduce emissions, he said. 'There are environmental purists who pooh-pooh natural gas,' without proposing realistic alternatives, Parsons said. Germany pinned its hopes on renewable solar and wind energy and is now seeing a significant uptick in consumption of fossil fuels, especially coal, said Parsons. Fox Lake Chief Morris Beardy didn't make himself available for an interview, but in a NeeStaNan news release he said the proposal aligns with federal and provincial goals: to develop nation-building projects that include Indigenous communities, reduce inter-provincial trade barriers and create new Arctic trade routes to Europe to provide access to new markets for Canada's natural resources. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. At a first ministers meeting in June, Kinew said Canada needs to get its natural resources to overseas markets, and Hudson Bay 'is probably the most tenable course towards hitting international tidewaters.' 'We've got communities who are ready to engage in northern Manitoba to bring these natural resources to market,' Kinew said at the gathering in Saskatoon. 'So let's use the private sector to figure out the engineering, the best route and how to energize the Western Canadian engine that's going to power the Canadian economy.' He said Thursday that no Manitoba mega-project has been announced yet. 'We're doing the legwork to try and get ready and make sure that the partners that we need to have on-side have their concerns around ownership and decision-making and environmental aspects all looked after.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
10-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Regulator OK's liquefied natural gas exports through Hudson Bay, pending future compliance
Social Sharing Canada's energy regulator has granted a company trying to develop a second port on Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba the authorization to export liquefied natural gas through subarctic waters, provided it complies with energy regulations. In an order published May 29, the Canada Energy Regulator authorized NeeStaNan to export LNG until June 2027, allowing the company to embark on a feasibility study for an all-season port near the mouth of the Nelson River. Originally based in Calgary, where it was directed by former oilpatch entrepreneur Robyn Lore, NeeStaNan now states it is a majority-owned subsidiary of Fox Lake Cree Nation, which is located along the Nelson River east of Gillam, Man. The company now has a Winnipeg address. In a news release issued on July 2, NeeStaNan and Fox Lake Cree Nation announced they are studying the feasibility of building "a large, multi-functional port with year-round operations," with the capacity and infrastructure to handle ores, potash, grains, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and hydrogen. The proposed port would be served by a new 150-kilometre rail spur line from Gillam to Hudson Bay, NeeStaNan said in its press release, describing the proposed tidewater port as a "new Port Nelson." Port Nelson, a ghost town located along the north side of the Nelson River, was the original intended terminus for the Hudson Bay Railway. From 1912 to 1918, the federal government attempted to build a deepwater port along the Nelson but abandoned the megaproject because of wartime labour shortages, the extreme climate on the coast of Hudson Bay and heavy silting along the fast-flowing river. The Hudson Bay railway was completed a decade later to Churchill, several hundred kilometres to the northwest. NeeStaNan has spent the past two years studying a revival of Nelson River-area port. Proponents such as Churchill ecotourism operator Wally Daudrich have argued the Port of Churchill is too small to serve a large volume of container ships, while Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has said Churchill cannot be expanded without impacting ecotourism operations, including beluga whale watching and polar bear viewing. 'Trying to do our homework' on port proposal: Kinew NeeStaNan said in its press release that in addition to exploring the construction of a rail line, it is also looking at a pipeline to a future Port Nelson. Environmental groups and some First Nations advocates have expressed concerns Hudson Bay is too ecologically sensitive to handle fossil fuel shipments, given the remote location of the bay, the length of time it would take to deploy cleanup crews, and the absence of knowledge about the impacts of oil or gas spills in this ecosystem. Kinew, who has expressed support for the idea of a second port on Hudson Bay, suggested it is premature to conclude the NeeStaNan proposal will translate into the construction of an actual port, which would require billions in spending. "We're trying to do our homework and background work behind the scenes, make sure folks are comfortable with the direction forward, and then we'll move ahead with that," the premier told reporters Thursday at the Manitoba Legislative Building. "We haven't actually done an announcement of this thing yet," Kinew said. "We're doing the legwork to try and get ready and make sure that the partners that we need to have onside have their concerns around ownership and decision-making and the environmental aspects all looked after.
