Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew speaks with reporters before the First Ministers Meeting in Ottawa, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Plans to expand the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba and boost shipping through the Arctic have attracted interest from a major energy company, Premier Wab Kinew said Thursday.
Kinew wouldn’t name the company but said a lot of “leg work” has been done in evaluating the opportunity. The provincial government is set to sign a non-disclosure agreement with it so discussions can continue.
“At this stage, it’s just really exciting for the province of Manitoba to be able to say that real private-sector investment is starting to come off the sidelines and say, you know what, this Churchill thing is … worth us looking at in great depth and detail,” Kinew told reporters following a premiers’ meeting in Ottawa.
Kinew has been promoting expansion of the rail line to Churchill and the port, on the coast of Hudson Bay, as a way to enhance Arctic sovereignty and provide an alternative shipping route.
It could also be used to ship western energy and solve a dispute between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and British Columbia Premier David Eby over the idea of shipping oil through northern B.C., Kinew said. That could involve a new pipeline to a new terminal in Churchill.
“You guys are going to report on Smith and Eby. I’m giving you guys a solution to their current impasse,” Kinew told reporters.
Smith said she was interested.
“North, south, east, west — we’re willing to go in every direction,” she said.
Churchill has long been promoted as a potential expanded trade corridor but has faced several hurdles.
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The long rail line to the town of about 900 residents passes through remote terrain and needs upgrading. Hudson Bay has a short ice-free season. And storage capacity in Churchill, which is not connected by road to other communities, is limited.
But the trade dispute with the United States has reignited interest in Churchill.
The project made a list of initiatives being considered as “transformative” by the federal government, although it was not among five projects highlighted in September for an initial round of nation-building infrastructure work.
Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed funding in November for a study on the potential of specialized icebreakers, ice tugs and research vessels at the port.
Kinew said Thursday that he asked Carney to have the study proceed quickly.
“We think we’ll get that sorted out in the next week now. He was supportive of that.”
The Manitoba government announced $51 million last year for improvements to the rail line and a new critical-minerals storage facility at the port.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.
— By Steve Lambert in Winnipeg
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