Port of Churchill celebrates first grain shipment in six years
Approximately 30,000 tonnes of Canadian durum wheat from Saskatchewan-based AGT Foods is being loaded at the northern Manitoba port and will be shipped to customers in Europe.
For the first time since 2020, grains from Saskatchewan are set to be shipped out of the Port of Churchill. Prairie grain, specifically Canadian durum wheat from AGT Foods, is scheduled to be loaded at this northern Manitoba port and headed to European customers. This marks a significant milestone in the port's revival.
Stakeholders gathered at the port to commemorate the event on Monday. Federal Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand highlighted the collaborative efforts of various levels of government, emphasizing the importance of federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous governments working together. The Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway, now owned by OneNorth, a partnership of 29 First Nations and 12 northern communities, are operated by Arctic Gateway Group.
Chartrand speculated that the federal government's intervention in 2018 to transfer ownership to local hands was crucial in revitalizing the port and rebuilding a customer base. War Lake First Nation Chief Betsy Kennedy expressed personal pride in seeing the ship and train cars delivering grain to the port, stating that Indigenous people have worked on this railway for decades.
She acknowledged the role her grandfather and father played on the railway and the significance of taking control of the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway.
The celebration took place on August 31, eight years to the day the federal government signed a deal with OmniTrax to close the port. Mike Spence, Churchill mayor and Arctic Gateway Group board member, emphasized the remarkable day and the northern communities' leadership in making a difference. He stressed that the Cree and Dene built trade networks and collaborative relationships across the region, contributing to the prosperity of northern Manitoba.
Manitoba's economic history is inextricably linked to Indigenous peoples, according to Fox Lake Cree Nation Chief Morris Beardy. He highlighted the navigation of waters, maintenance of trade routes, and connections of communities across the North by Indigenous peoples. The Port of Churchill and the rail line that serves it remain critical to northern Manitoba, driving economic development and connecting Canada to national and international markets.
Arctic Gateway Group's CEO, Chris Avery, noted that the port's first grain shipment in six years would not have been possible if it were an American-owned set of infrastructure. He emphasized the collective efforts that paved the way for this significant achievement.
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