There is a lot of potential at the Port of Churchill, Manitoba. It is the only rail-connected Arctic deep-water port in North America, operating since 1931.
This week, Churchill handled grain shipments for the first time in six years, produced in Canada and bound for Europe. Potash and zinc concentrate shipments are to follow.
“It’s encouraging to see grain shipping through the port,” says Barry Tchir, National President of UCTE. “Amid all this trade turmoil, this is a sign that we can make the most of our own infrastructure to get Canadian products to market. We hear encouraging talk when it comes to future development at the Port of Churchill. We are hopeful that it will have a positive effect for our members there.”
UCTE campaigned in the 2010s to return the port to public ownership. It had been turned over to U.S. firm OmniTRAX in 1997, which closed the port after the rail line was washed out in 2017. Arctic Gateway Group, a non-share corporation owned by several communities and First Nations, took over the port and rail line in 2018 and completed the rail repairs.
“We’re all for responsible growth and investment in sovereign infrastructure,” said Tchir. “At the same time, the employer must consult, so that we can protect the rights of existing workers and ensure good conditions for any new jobs that are created in the community.”
Whatever is on the horizon for Churchill, new development should benefit the local workers who have been keeping the port and the town running for a century.
