Manitoba is putting up $51 million in new funding to help upgrade the Hudson Bay Railway line as federal and provincial government officials met in Winnipeg Sunday to work toward the possibility of expanding the Port of Churchill.
Arctic Gateway Group, a partnership of dozens of First Nations and Hudson Bay communities that owns the port, said in a news release that the new money would be put toward bringing the northern rail line up to Class I to accommodate heavier loads.
The funding will also help pay for a new critical-minerals storage facility at the Port of Churchill, the province said in a joint statement with the federal government on Sunday.
However Ottawa’s list of major projects of “national importance” still does not include the port expansion.
In September, the Port of Churchill Plus was included under the Major Projects Office’s “transformative strategies list” while the prime minister announced other projects would move forward.
In Winnipeg on Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Port of Churchill opens up a “huge host of opportunities” in northern Manitoba, including possibilities for “energy, agriculture, critical minerals and beyond.”
Premier Wab Kinew said the expansion in Churchill remains a “major priority” for Manitoba, as he passed a football — Winnipeg is hosting the Grey Cup championship this weekend — to Carney, saying the “ball is in his hands.”
With the new $51 million in funding, the province has spent $87.5 million on the project. The federal government announced in March that it is contributing $175 million.
The joint press release said Carney and Kinew “committed to continuing this work in an expedited fashion.”
Plans and a strategy for the port expansion are expected to be released in Spring 2026, the joint release said.
