Ottawa, Manitoba boost Churchill for mineral trade

Ottawa and Manitoba are increasing support for the Port of Churchill to advance rail upgrades, add critical minerals storage and push a northern export corridor for Canadian miners.

The joint funding is being raised to $262.5 million (US$186.9 million), the governments said on Monday. 

The Port of Churchill Plus strategy is being advanced through the federal Major Projects Office, with planning and design work targeted for release in the first half next year, according to a statement by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Wab Kinew.

“This strong collaboration highlights the Port of Churchill Plus as a priority and will ensure it moves from consideration to implementation,” the two leaders said.

The push aims to diversify Canada’s trade routes by expanding northern export capacity to Europe and other partners and more tightly linking Churchill to southern supply chains. For miners, longer seasonal windows and dedicated storage could ease bottlenecks and open more direct pathways to market for critical minerals.

Rail, storage

Premier Kinew committed $51 million to Arctic Gateway Group for capital improvements to the Hudson Bay Railway and to build a new critical minerals storage facility at the port.

The federal government will fund the Arctic Research Foundation to study options for deploying specialized icebreakers, ice tugs and research vessels to extend the short shipping season on Hudson Bay, the leaders also said in Winnipeg.

Churchill Plus has been on the Major Projects Office’s list of “transformative strategies” since Sept. 11, with Canada and Manitoba developing a project charter and business case.

New Crown Corp.

Once the province’s new Manitoba Crown Indigenous Corporation seats a board, it will join as a full partner, the governments said. It signals an early-stage approach to consultation and governance with Indigenous communities, they added

To be sure, success will hinge on rail reliability, seasonal ice constraints and the economics of private-sector projects. The current “critical-path” work includes testing business cases for infrastructure that can attract private capital while advancing national interests – an acknowledgment that public funding alone won’t determine outcomes.