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Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba signs deal with Saskatchewan to bolster trade through Port of Churchill
Manitoba's experience as a leader in reconciliation will give it a leg up when it comes time for Canada to fast-track megaprojects, Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday after signing an agreement with Saskatchewan to expand trade through the Port of Churchill. 'We're working a ton on making sure we have consensus with the Indigenous nations for the megaprojects that we want to pursue to build up the Manitoba and Canadian economy,' Kinew said. Twenty-nine First Nations and 12 northern communities own the Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway that connects it to the rest of the continent. Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, left, talks with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe at the meeting of Canada's premiers in Huntsville, Ont., Monday. 'This ability to get to tidewater and seemingly having the ability to open that up, maybe, year-round because of newer ships that we have access to today, is really exciting for Manitoba,' Kinew told reporters via a Zoom call from Huntsville, Ont. There, Canada's first ministers are gathering to discuss a strategy to respond to the trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump. The memorandum of understanding Kinew signed with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Tuesday says the Arctic Gateway Group will invest in port and rail assets and lengthen the shipping season, which typically runs from July to November, to support increased freight capacity. Chris Avery, the chief executive officer of AGG, said they're working with the University of Manitoba and other academic and private-sector groups to update data about the shipping season, which has been getting longer over time. 'What the University of Manitoba tells us is that based on their data from over the past 40 years and what they see in their studies of the sea ice — they expect that the shipping seasons can be lengthened already without icebreakers or anything else, given climate change.' He said U of M is gathering and studying the data, which can be shared with shippers and insurance companies, he said. 'One of the impediments to extending the shipping season is because they're working off of old historical data of the shipping season and the ice patterns and so on.' New data from the U of M indicates the shipping season will be lengthened to as much as six months without the use of icebreakers, Avery said. In February, Manitoba announced $36.4 million would be given to AGG over two years for capital infrastructure projects at the port. The memo of understanding says the province will try to secure federal infrastructure funding and regulatory support to improve connectivity to northern markets, a news release said. 'When we're talking about nation-building, if we help Alberta, Saskatchewan, our other neighbors and fellow provinces and territories access the European Union, that can be really good for all of us.'–Wab Kinew The five-year plan requires Saskatchewan to 'mobilize' commodity producers and exporters through its trade offices and regional industry partners, the release said. Streamlining access to ports such as Churchill will allow for greater access to international markets, Moe said in the release. 'It helps us to unlock mining in the north, more agricultural exports in the south, manufacturing products right across our whole province,' Kinew told reporters Tuesday. 'When we're talking about nation-building, if we help Alberta, Saskatchewan, our other neighbors and fellow provinces and territories access the European Union, that can be really good for all of us.' On Tuesday, Manitoba did not sign an MOU with Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta to use Ontario steel to build an oil and gas pipeline and a port on James Bay as part of a national energy corridor. Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said Manitoba 'missed out on a much, much larger opportunity.' 'Why wouldn't you negotiate on the ground floor for a project that could bring massive economic opportunities and prosperity to the province?' Khan asked. Kinew said he's had 'excellent meetings' with the three premiers involved and that he didn't sign their MOU because Manitoba doesn't have the needed consensus from its Indigenous nations to do so. 'Our approach in Manitoba involves extensive leg work with Indigenous nations at the front end of the project process,' Manitoba's first First Nations premier said. 'I believe spending that time to build consensus and then to invest the energy necessary to maintain that consensus throughout the construction phase of a project, will actually see us get to the finish line as quickly or quicker than everyone else.' Dylan Robertson / Free Press Files Twenty-nine First Nations and 12 northern communities own the Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway that connects it to the rest of the continent. Kinew said the province hasn't announced a new megaproject proposal yet. 'This is work that we're undertaking carefully, strategically and quietly behind the scenes,' the premier said. 'We would love to have the federal government as an enthusiastic partner (but)…the partners that we need are the collective Indigenous nations of Manitoba that are represented by governments.' Kinew said he doesn't want Manitoba to be pitted against other provinces, but noted that Churchill has the advantage over James Bay because it is a long-running northern, deep-water port with infrastructure and Indigenous partners. A supply chain expert who teaches at the U of M Asper School of Business said the proposals for a major port at the far south end of James Bay in Ontario centre on the community of Moosonee, that has port facilities for barges, but not ships that require deep water. Like Churchill, it has rail access but no road, said Robert Parsons. The proposal to develop the James Bay port into an energy corridor 'is really more on the wish-list side,' he said. Parsons compared it to NeeStanNan's proposal to develop a liquefied natural gas terminal at Port Nelson on Hudson Bay in Manitoba. 'Both will require quite a bit of work.' The chief of one of the First Nations behind the Port Nelson LNG proposal welcomed Manitoba's agreement with Saskatchewan to bolster the Port of Churchill. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. 'Churchill has always been there and we support Churchill and we're also part owners of the railway,' said Clarence Easter of Chemawawin Cree Nation, one of 10 First Nations behind the NeeStaNan energy corridor. NeeStaNan has been licensed by the federal energy regulator to explore the development of exporting liquefied natural gas. Easter said he supports federal legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects such as energy corridors. 'We cannot keep doing things that we've been doing in the past because it hasn't worked before… We can't keep counting on federal handouts, provincial handouts to survive and keep living the way we've been living,' the chief said. 'The opportunity is there for us to step up.' 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
14 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba signs agreements with 4 provinces to improve trade and labour mobility
The Manitoba government has signed agreements with four other Canadian provinces to loosen trade barriers and increase labour mobility from coast to coast. Premier Wab Kinew said the province has signed four separate memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Saskatchewan, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island during the Council of the Federation meeting in Huntsville, Ont. The agreements outline a shared commitment to remove internal trade barriers between Manitoba and each province, while ensuring workers' credentials are recognized across the provinces to increase job mobility. They also include a promise to expand direct-to-consumer alcohol sales from Manitoba producers in each of the four provinces. "It feels good as a Canadian to see that the leaders from all regions and at the highest level are working together. It feels good as a premier to know that we're walking in lockstep with our colleagues," Kinew said during a virtual press conference Tuesday. Manitoba also signed a separate memorandum of understanding with Saskatchewan and Arctic Gateway Group to expand Arctic trade via the Port of Churchill. Kinew told reporters that he also had a productive meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, where they discussed shared economic priorities. "We're definitely all on the same page in terms of definitely wanting to build up Canada and build up our economy," he said, calling the meetings in Huntsville "Team Canada's huddle" before the Aug. 1 deadline to reach a trade deal with the U.S. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government "will not accept a bad deal" and is working toward a trade agreement that's "in the best interest of Canadians." Kinew told CBC's David Cochrane on Power and Politics Tuesday afternoon that Canadians should remain patient as provincial and federal leaders work to build local economies and try to secure a deal with an often-volatile trading partner to the south. "Given the way the Trump administration has continuously moved the goalposts, has continuously put different issues on the table, taking them off, I think we should maybe just let go of the Aug. 1 deadline as a fixation. And the fixation that we should have is a good deal," he said. On Tuesday, the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario also signed memorandums of understanding to build new pipelines, railroads and energy infrastructure to move oil, gas and critical minerals between the provinces. Manitoba did not sign the agreement. Kinew said Manitoba's major infrastructure projects must first have a consensus from Indigenous stakeholders before putting shovels in the ground. The Council of the Federation meeting continues in Huntsville on Wednesday.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Manitoba and Saskatchewan sign agreement to boost trade corridor through the Arctic
HUNTSVILLE, ONT. — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was hopeful after meeting Tuesday with the prime minister and other premiers about the potential for a large Arctic trade corridor through the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay. But some provinces are also supporting a trade route through a port on James Bay in northern Ontario that would also serve the Arctic. The two megaprojects are among many being pitched as part of a national effort to diversify trade and protect the Canadian economy from U.S. tariffs. The governments of Manitoba and Saskatchewan signed a memorandum to expand trade through Churchill in a five-year deal that also includes Arctic Gateway Group, which owns the port and the northern rail line that leads to it. Material shipped through the port can reach Europe and other destinations. The company has agreed to expand freight capacity and lengthen the shipping season, which is currently severely limited by ice. Saskatchewan has committed to mobilizing commodity producers and exporters through its trade offices. And Manitoba will lead efforts to secure federal infrastructure funding and regulatory support. Kinew, who has said the trade corridor could also include a pipeline for energy from the west and a transmission line to move Manitoba hydroelectricity in the other direction, told reporters Tuesday the project could go ahead without federal financial support. "We would absolutely love to have the federal government as an enthusiastic partner. I think they will be very, very supportive of the megaproject we're seeking to build," Kinew said. "But the partners that we need are the collective Indigenous nations in Manitoba." The Ontario government, meanwhile, signed a memorandum with Alberta and Saskatchewan that calls for new rail lines to be built to help ship critical minerals from yet-to-be-approved mines in the Ring of Fire to Western Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the agreement focuses on shipping western oil to refineries in southern Ontario and a new deep-sea port in James Bay. Kinew said he didn't want to pit his province against another. But he said the Manitoba project has advantages: an existing port, Indigenous participation through the owners of the existing port and railway, and consultations on possible expansions. "It just so happens that our approach in Manitoba involves extensive legwork with the Indigenous nations at the front end of the project process." — By Steve Lambert in Winnipeg This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Hamilton Spectator
15 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. inks trade deals with Manitoba, Yukon a day after agreement with Ontario
HUNTSVILLE, Ont. — British Columbia has signed two more internal trade agreements with other Canadian jurisdictions to boost trade and labour mobility, a day after a similar deal with Ontario was announced. B.C. Premier David Eby says in a statement that the province has signed separate deals with Manitoba and Yukon, agreeing to work 'to remove trade barriers between provinces and territories.' The statement says the deal signed with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew includes measures to increase the mobility of regulated workers and professionals between the two provinces, and allowing direct alcohol sales from Manitoba to B.C. consumers. B.C. alcoholic beverages can already be sold directly to consumers in Manitoba. The Yukon agreement signed with Premier Mike Pemberton focuses on the removal of trade barriers as well as the alignment of standards for regulated occupations. The deal between B.C. and Yukon is in addition to a memorandum in May that the two jurisdictions will co-operate on possibly connecting their power grids. 'With these trade agreements, we're making it easier to buy and sell our great Canadian products to our fellow Canadian neighbours,' Eby says in the statement. 'This is another important step toward building a stronger economy here at home — one that's less reliant on the U.S and works better for people.' The deals were signed at the premiers' meeting in Huntsville, Ont., where B.C.'s agreement with Ontario was made public Monday. Ontario also announced agreements with Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, which Premier Doug Ford said when combined with the B.C. deal would help Canada unlock roughly $200 billion in economic potential.
Global News
16 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
B.C. signs 2 more trade deals, this time with with Manitoba, Yukon
British Columbia has signed two more internal trade agreements with other Canadian jurisdictions to boost trade and labour mobility, a day after a similar deal with Ontario was announced. B.C. Premier David Eby says in a statement that the province has signed separate deals with Manitoba and Yukon, agreeing to work 'to remove trade barriers between provinces and territories.' The statement says the deal signed with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew includes measures to increase the mobility of regulated workers and professionals between the two provinces, and allowing direct alcohol sales from Manitoba to B.C. consumers. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy B.C. alcoholic beverages can already be sold directly to consumers in Manitoba. The Yukon agreement signed with Premier Mike Pemberton focuses on the removal of trade barriers as well as the alignment of standards for regulated occupations. Story continues below advertisement The deal between B.C. and Yukon is in addition to a memorandum in May that the two jurisdictions will co-operate on possibly connecting their power grids. 'With these trade agreements, we're making it easier to buy and sell our great Canadian products to our fellow Canadian neighbours,' Eby says in the statement. 'This is another important step toward building a stronger economy here at home — one that's less reliant on the U.S and works better for people.' The deals were signed at the premiers' meeting in Huntsville, Ont., where B.C.'s agreement with Ontario was made public Monday. Ontario also announced agreements with Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, which Premier Doug Ford said when combined with the B.C. deal would help Canada unlock roughly $200 billion in economic potential.
