Manitoba has allocated $51 million in fresh funding to enhance the Hudson Bay Railway line, as federal and provincial authorities convened in Winnipeg on Sunday to discuss the potential expansion of the Port of Churchill. The Arctic Gateway Group, a collective of numerous First Nations and Hudson Bay communities overseeing the port, revealed that the new funding will cover the necessary engineering work to upgrade the northern rail line to Class I status, enabling it to handle heavier loads. Additionally, the funds will finance new storage and loading systems to manage essential minerals, potash, and Arctic supplies at the Port of Churchill, along with acquiring more ships and equipment to handle increased marine traffic.
During a meeting at the premier’s office, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew reiterated their commitment to the port expansion. Despite this, the official list of major projects of “national importance” by Ottawa does not currently include the port expansion. In a recent announcement, Carney disclosed that the Churchill port expansion is still in need of further development, with plans for more comprehensive strategies and detailed blueprints to be unveiled by spring 2026.
Carney emphasized the vast potential that the Port of Churchill brings to northern Manitoba, citing opportunities in energy, agriculture, critical minerals, and more. Kinew stressed that the expansion of Churchill remains a top priority for the province, symbolically passing a football to Carney, signifying their collaborative efforts in advancing the project. Carney described the undertaking as substantial and multi-faceted, involving several stages of progression.
The project encompasses a port expansion, an upgraded Hudson Bay Railway, an all-weather road to Churchill and potentially other destinations in northern Manitoba, the deployment of icebreakers in Hudson Bay, and the establishment of an “energy corridor” for transporting liquefied natural gas, crude oil, natural gas, electricity, or possibly ammonia. With the latest injection of $51 million in funding, Manitoba’s total investment in the initiative amounts to $87.5 million, complemented by the federal government’s $175 million contribution.
Kinew indicated that the engineering work might prompt a reconfiguration of the railway, a matter that will be deliberated with the major projects office. He expressed optimism about ongoing assessments and discussions, revealing plans for quarterly meetings with Carney to advance the project. More intricate plans and a strategic roadmap for the port expansion are anticipated to be outlined in the spring of 2026.