First grain export since 2020 moves through Port of Churchill

The Port of Churchill has resumed grain exports for the first time since 2020, loading about 30,000 tonnes of Canadian durum wheat supplied by Saskatchewan‑based AGT Foods for shipment to Europe. According to the announcement, two more grain vessels are expected this season under a new relationship between Arctic Gateway Group and AGT Foods.

According to the announcement, studies have confirmed that year‑round shipping from Churchill is possible with existing ice‑strengthened vessels. Work continues on wharf rehabilitation and structural strengthening of the grain gallery, along with recent investments in storage facilities, environmental remediation and equipment modernization.

“Seeing Prairie grain once again moving through the Port of Churchill to European markets is an important milestone for Manitoba agriculture,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said the province is investing in the port and the Hudson Bay Railway to support trade and northern communities.

“Churchill is once again moving grain to international markets,” Naylor said. “Our government is making the investments needed to strengthen the port and Hudson Bay Railway, support trade and keep this important transportation corridor moving. We are seeing Churchill take its place again as an important gateway for Manitoba and Western Canada. There is more work ahead, but this grain shipment shows what Churchill can do for producers, northern communities and our economy.”

AGT Foods president and CEO Murad Al‑Katib said Churchill offers a shorter route to Europe and the Mediterranean.

“For AGT Foods, the Port of Churchill offers a compelling advantage: a shorter, efficient route connecting Western Canadian agriculture directly with customers in Europe and the Mediterranean,” Al‑Katib said.

The announcement says this is the port’s most diversified season to date. Another vessel is scheduled to load zinc concentrate and the port’s first shipment of potash mined in Manitoba by Potash and Agri Development Corporation of Manitoba. These shipments are bound for the Port of Antwerp‑Bruges. The port is also loading a northern resupply vessel for Nunavut.

Arctic Gateway Group board chair and Churchill mayor Mike Spence said the port is handling a wider mix of commodities this season.

“This is what a diversified Port of Churchill looks like,” Spence said. “Prairie grain heading to Europe, critical minerals and Manitoba potash reaching international markets, and essential goods moving north to communities in Nunavut. There is still much more work ahead, including building up our presence as a supply base for the Canadian Arctic, but this season is showing the potential of this Indigenous- and community-owned trade corridor to diversify Canadian trade and connect northern and western Canada with new markets.”

Across the Hudson Bay Railway, engineering work by SYSTRA Canada is examining modernization needs beginning with the Flin Flon Subdivision. A major bridge reconstruction project near Thompson was completed in August. Arctic Gateway Group has added a weekly freight train and continues track rehabilitation using LiDAR, ground‑penetrating radar, drones and artificial intelligence.

The Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill are owned by OneNorth, a partnership of 29 First Nations and 12 northern communities, and operated by Arctic Gateway Group.