Port of Churchill Could New Export Point for Saskatchewan Grain

An alternative route for Saskatchewan grain to get to world markets is in the works. 

Arctic Gateway Group, which owns the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba, announced Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Invest Tisdale - the economic development agency for the northeastern Saskatchewan town - to restore and promote two-way rail traffic between the port and the town. 

“The Port of Churchill can offer Saskatchewan grain farmers and other businesses major cost savings with a shorter and more direct route to world export markets, as well as for imports of key products such as fertilizers,” said Chris Avery, CEO of the Arctic Gateway Group.  

Reconnecting Tisdale to the Hudson Bay Railway, which in turn connects northern Manitoba to the Port of Churchill, will help grow the economy in Saskatchewan and offer greater supply chain optionality to lessen the impact of strikes and other forms of trade disruption that have marked this year, Avery said. 

As part of the memorandum of understanding, the Arctic Gateway and Invest Tisdale are planning to assess the cost involved with revitalizing the Tisdale Rail Subdivision, which would link the town to the Hudson Bay Railway and ultimately, the Port of Churchill. 

“We have been advocating for direct rail service to Churchill since 1995 and for the restoration of grain service since 2015,” said Reeve Ian Allan of the Rural Municipality of Tisdale. “The Arctic Port terminal is essential and is ours to lose.”