The Port of Churchill has gotten another nod from Manitoba’s provincial government.
The newly announced Manitoba Crown-Indigenous Corporation (MCIC) partnership will bolster economic development and expand trade corridor projects, Churchill included, the province said in a press release Dec. 9.
“Churchill has always been a gateway to the world,” Premier Wab Kinew said in the same release. “For generations, people have seen its potential but what was missing was the partnership to bring it to life.”
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The new Crown corporation “is how we turn that potential into real progress,” he added.
WHY IT MATTERS: The Port of Churchill Plus project promises to expand the port’s scope and potential as a trade hub, including potential trade route improvements for agricultural goods.
Co-ordination of the Port of Churchill Plus project will fall under the new partnership’s purview.
The project is on the list of “transformative strategies” noted under the federal government’s Major Projects Office of Canada. The strategies, including Port of Churchill Plus, “all meet the criteria of growth, security, diversification of markets and reconciliation,” according to the federal government.
In the case of the Port of Churchill, the strategy includes new road access, rail upgrades, energy corridor and ice-breaking to expand the port’s window of active trade. The federal office also notes the creation of the MCIC as part of the strategy, prioritizing Indigenous ownership.
The office’s website says Port of Churchill plus will “develop the projects needed to turn the Port of Churchill in major four season and dual-use gateway to the region. Expanded export capacity in the North through Hudson Bay would contribute to increased and diversified trade with Europe and other partners.”
The new partnership is real progress on the part of the Province of Manitoba to expand the Port of Churchill as a key piece of trade infrastructure, Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Jill Verwey believes.
“This new Crown-Indigenous corporation will ensure that Manitoba works in collaboration with Indigenous leadership to advance both economic development and environmental stewardship, while creating new opportunities in the north and across the province,” Verwey said.
Verwey is hopeful that the development of the Port of Churchill will create more opportunities for Manitoba farmers and the province’s economy.
Indigenous partnership
Steps will be taken to ensure that Indigenous leadership is a cornerstone of the project, Kinew said. As well as bolstering co-operation between the province and federal Major Projects Office, the province says the partnership will ensure better consultation with Indigenous communities and “ensure the project reflects environmental stewardship and Indigenous knowledge.”
The province expects to formally establish the corporation next March. It is currently working with Indigenous organizations like the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Manitoba Métis Federation and other First Nations leadership to that goal, the Dec. 9 release said.
Kinew also announced that the province is providing $250,000 to study the viability of a marine protected area in Hudson Bay.
A town hall is expected to be held in Churchill in February 2026 on the topic of rail line improvements and the port project, the province said.
