Manitoba partners sign MOU to strengthen trade corridors, diversify routes

The federal and Manitoba governments have signed a new memorandum of understanding with key transportation and logistics organizations aimed at strengthening the province’s trade network and improving access to global markets.

The agreement, known as the Ports Manitoba Project, brings together Prairies Economic Development Canada, the Province of Manitoba, Arctic Gateway Group, Winnipeg Airports Authority and CentrePort Canada Inc. It is intended to create a more integrated and resilient supply chain across air, land and sea transportation.

The partnership links the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway, owned by 41 northern and Indigenous communities through Arctic Gateway Group, with CentrePort Canada’s inland trimodal port and foreign trade zones, and Winnipeg’s international cargo airport.

“Building one Canadian economy means working with key partners to strengthen the trade corridors that bring Prairie products to domestic and global markets”, said Eleanor Olszewski, minister of emergency management and community resilience and minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada. “This initiative advances that work and build on our government’s recent investments in Arctic Gateway Group, the Port of Churchill and CentrePort which have improved supply-chain efficiency, reduced barriers to interprovincial trade and advanced trade diversification.”

Manitoba Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses said the agreement positions the province as a central player in global trade.

“Manitoba sits at the centre of the country and now we’re building our place at the centre of trade,” Moses said. “With partnerships like this — and initiatives like the Manitoba Crown-Indigenous Corporation — we’re working alongside our transportation sector partners and Indigenous nations to make sure major projects deliver real benefits for Manitobans. That’s how we create jobs, grow the economy, and strengthen Manitoba’s role in global trade.”

Arctic Gateway Group President and CEO Chris Avery said the partnership aligns key national trade assets.

“Canada needs new routes to global markets, and Manitoba is primed to step up and deliver,” Avery said. “By bringing together the Port of Churchill, Winnipeg’s international airport and CentrePort, we’re aligning Canada’s Arctic Trade Corridor with its largest inland port and its premier cargo airport to build something far greater than the sum of its parts.”

“Companies around the world are looking for reliable, resilient supply chains and Manitoba is ideally positioned to deliver exactly that,” added Carly Edmundson, CentrePort Canada president and CEO. “By working together, we catalyze Manitoba’s trade-enabling infrastructure to allow goods to move more easily throughout Canada and enhance our connections with global markets.”

Winnipeg Airports Authority President and CEO Nick Hays said improved coordination across transportation modes will support long-term growth.

“This MOU is about strengthening how Manitoba’s trade and transportation assets work together,” Hays said. “Improved multi-modal coordination enables a more integrated and resilient trade network. This in turn supports long-term economic opportunity for the province and for Canada.”

The MOU outlines collaboration on single-window investment support, expanded use of foreign trade zones, integrated supply-chain development between the Port of Churchill, CentrePort and Winnipeg Airports Authority and continued infrastructure development across all three assets.