Port of Churchill Plus: Northern Trade Gateway
From Vision to Investment Readiness
Port of Churchill Plus is a transformative, Indigenous‑led initiative to position Churchill as a northern hub for global trade, centred on North America’s only deep‑water Arctic port connected by rail to the continental transportation network. Building on the leadership of the Arctic Gateway Group and the Government of Manitoba, the project will upgrade the port, rail, road, and energy systems to create a year‑round Arctic gateway that connects Prairie resources and critical minerals to European and worldwide markets.
By leveraging Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean as a shortest‑distance route to tidewater, Port of Churchill Plus will strengthen Canada’s role in connecting the Arctic world to global supply chains.
Referred to the federal Major Projects Office, Port of Churchill Plus is now being advanced as a “transformative” nation‑building strategy with “boundless potential” for critical minerals, clean energy, and trade diversification. The MPO is working with Indigenous partners, the Government of Manitoba, and prospective proponents to de‑risk regulatory pathways, attract private and public capital, and turn this corridor vision into a portfolio of competitive projects.
Port of Churchill is emerging as one of Canada’s fastest‑growing northern economic platforms, backed by real capital, capacity, and trade growth.
- Since 2022, governments have committed more than $200 million to Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill upgrades, including $36.4 million from Manitoba and $180 million reconfirmed in Federal Budget 2025 to expand traffic, diversify exports, and attract private investment.
- The port has tripled its critical‑mineral storage capacity in a single year and completed two consecutive seasons of critical mineral shipments to Europe, signaling rapid growth in high‑value export volumes.
- Ottawa’s 2026 market‑sounding study describes Port of Churchill Plus as central to a “stronger, more resilient Canadian economy” and the most direct tidewater route from the Prairies to European markets, positioning the port as a key driver of Western Canada’s next wave of trade‑led growth.
Concept image of future of Port of Churchill
Impacting the Next Generation
Northern Frontier: Economy & Trade
The Indigenous Led Connected Corridor: Rail, Road, Energy, Marine
Port of Churchill Plus advances an integrated corridor vision: an upgraded Class 1 rail line, an all‑weather road connection, a new energy corridor, and enhanced marine ice‑breaking capacity. Together, these systems will support year‑round movement of people, goods, energy, and data between the Prairies, the North, and international markets, aligning with emerging national power‑corridor thinking.
Indigenous‑Led Ownership and Partnership
The Churchill–Wapask corridor is built on Indigenous leadership and shared prosperity. The project is anchored in Indigenous equity and governance, through Arctic Gateway Group’s ownership by 41 First Nations and northern communities and a new Manitoba Crown–Indigenous corporation that will co‑lead Churchill Plus.
This model keeps long‑term value creation, jobs, and skills development in the hands of local rights‑holders while positioning Churchill as a benchmark for nation‑to‑nation infrastructure development.
Locally and nationally, the Churchill–Wapask vision ties Indigenous ownership, clean power, and critical minerals into a single nation‑building corridor. Increased freight volumes and port activity drive employment, training, and business opportunities for Indigenous and northern communities that co‑own the rail and port, with profits reinvested into local services, workforce development, and northern economies, further supporting housing developments and access to much needed products and services locally.
Impact of Year‑Round Rail Upgrades
Reliability. Speed. Service Improvement.
Stabilized, faster Hudson Bay Railway service boosts the volume, frequency, and reliability of grain, potash, and mining trains into Churchill, with recent upgrades cutting travel time between The Pas and Churchill by about 10 percent and directly lifting port throughput. Higher‑capacity rail and a new facility that triples critical‑mineral storage enable the port to handle more bulk cargo and move beyond seasonal grain into minerals and energy products, positioning Churchill as a key export hub.
As ice‑breaker support and a longer ice‑free season extend navigation, a 12‑month‑capable railway becomes the backbone for near year‑round Arctic shipping windows.
For northern communities without all‑season roads, this reliable corridor secures year‑round resupply, supports local jobs and Indigenous ownership, and strengthens both regional economies and Canadian Arctic sovereignty
The Port of Churchill’s unique rail‑linked, deepwater Arctic position makes year‑round upgrades a force‑multiplier for northern shipping and Prairie exports into niche but growing Arctic‑route markets. Those upgrades expand capacity, reliability, and trade options for bulk commodities and critical minerals moving to Europe and parts of Asia via Hudson Bay.
The Critical Minerals Moment
For agriculture, mining, and energy sectors, a northern corridor adds export capacity and redundancy, supporting higher production, new investments, and additional jobs in Western Canada. Critical‑mineral storage and handling at Churchill, now being tripled, positions the port as a specialized hub for Canada’s critical minerals strategy and related downstream value chains across the globe with capacity to connect to Ontario's Ring of Fire on the great Canadian shield.