Churchill, Manitoba –A Gateway to the North
The Port of Churchill has been a trading centre for hundreds of years. It served the Inuit, Dene, and Cree as a point where all three cultures could gather in peace to trade. The Europeans who came to Northern Canada recognized the natural benefits of this port and soon adopted it as a major trading post as well.
In recent years, the Arctic region has experienced fundamental climatic changes that have resulted in greater access to natural resources. This means transportation and trade will play an even greater role in the future of the Arctic and Northern Canada. Trade links that stretch from Winnipeg through Churchill, and then to Nunavut, will become even more central to the territory’s communities and businesses.
The Hudson Bay Port Company (HBPC) has worked hard to establish the Port as the primary hub in the movement of fuel and freight to Nunavut. With the increased volume of mining exploration and production taking place across the Canadian Arctic today, Churchill has become a major link in this trade route.
The HBPC has a long record in the Arctic, especially in the movement of freight to the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. Since the HBPC’s acquisition of the Port in 1997, more than 220 million litres of fuel has been delivered to mines, airlines,Transport Canada, the Government of Nunavut, and other governmental entities in the region.
The Port has the following facilities available for serving shippers in the North:
• Four deep-sea berths, including one tanker berth
• 82,000 square-feet of indoor storage and ample outdoor
storage areas
• Dock space for handling trailers and containers
• Six miles of track available for railcar
loading and equipment storage
• Newly inaugurated service with BBE – through rates from Winnipeg to Nunavut communities
• 15 tanks available for storage and trans-shipment with a capacity of 50
million litres
• Supplies gasoline, diesel, jet A, and packaged goods
• Fourteen railcar spots at the tank farm
• Has provided quality fuel certified for arctic conditions for more than 50
years
• Served by the Hudson Bay Railway, which connects with CN for service
throughout North America
In combination with the rail service provided by the Hudson Bay Railway, the Port offers the mining industry in Nunavut a seamless transportation system in moving fuel and freight from origins across Canada. The system provides Nunavut with the shortest and most direct route from Western Canada to Nunavut and it provides a flexible schedule for the shippers, as well as multiple sailings from Churchill to various destinations in the Arctic.
The Port of Churchill is owned by OmniTRAX Canada, In (www.omnitrax.com), based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Port is Canada’s only deepwater Arctic port and it is served by its affiliate, the Hudson Bay Railway Company. The Port and HBR make up a transportation system geared to provide service to and from Northern Manitoba and Nunavut. In addition to the Port of Churchill, OmniTRAX manages transportation businesses located in three Canadian provinces and 10 states, and offers a full range of transportation and logistics services. These services include railroad, port, and freight terminal operations. Through its affiliation with The Broe Group (www.broe.com) and its managed companies, OmniTRAX has the unique capability of offering customers specialized industrial development and real estate solutions, both on and off the OmniTRAX network.
For more information, please contact
Mike Ogborn
OmniTRAX
(204) 953-3684 or by email at mogborn@omnitrax.com