Hudson Bay Railway: Fostering Regional Prosperity with Indigenous and Community-Driven Values

Posted on July 3, 2024

Tell us what it means to be a railway that’s served communities in the North for nearly a century

The railway is a critical lifeline, providing essential goods, services, and supports for people and communities we serve. It means good local jobs, linking remote areas to broader markets and supporting local businesses. We are guardians of this opportunity.

We need to see HBR and the Port of Churchill as a unified economic trade corridor linking the rest of North America to the Arctic Ocean —with renewable power, fibre-optic connectivity, global market access for resources and critical minerals, great potential for green energy, and so much more.

We understand that this year will see historic investments in capital upgrades along your rail line. How will these investments impact the communities you serve and your overall operations?

We’re ensuring that our infrastructure is reliable, modern, and world-class.

Since the Arctic Gateway Group acquired HBR in 2018, we’ve been able to move ahead with historic investments in upgrades along the line. This year alone we’re replacing 125,000 rail ties, resurfacing 800,000 feet of track, rehabilitating several crossings, and making significant bridge improvements. Already, we’ve cut rail travel times from The Pas to Churchill by more than two hours with more time-saving improvements to come.

These improvements mean better reliability and efficiency, allowing us to increase our freight capacity. It also means we can support a broader range of industries, diversifying our exports at the port.

Can you explain how your railway came to be? How did it become Indigenous owned?

Our ownership model is unique within Canada. Northerners and Indigenous communities play an integral role.

After decades of under-investment were brought to light by devastating washouts in 2017, the Town of Churchill and Opaskwayak Cree Nation, were successful in bringing a number of Indigenous and Northern leaders together and along with private sector partners, built a new relationship with the federal government to start the process of rebuilding the line. We all put politics aside and got it done.

In 2018, the Arctic Gateway Group acquired the Hudson Bay Railway, the Port of Churchill, and the Churchill Marine Tank Farm. Our ownership group today includes 41 First Nations and northern communities.

Now, we are working to get to a point where we can be self-sustaining. A critical piece to achieve this is to bring in more investors so we can have strong partnerships and ensure long-term success. That’s why it’s so important to have local buy-in.

We can continue to help market Manitoba as a maritime province. Our unique model of Indigenous and community ownership ensures that the benefits are in line with the priorities and values of our communities, focusing on shared prosperity and long-term stability. It’s our turn and we are committed to long-term success.

What are the challenges and opportunities of operating in remote areas?

This is a gateway and trade corridor that has been vastly underutilized. But the opportunities are massive and include better access to markets for resources and critical minerals, more efficient Northern resupply to Arctic communities, green energy, Northern fibre-optic connectivity, local economic develop, economic reconciliation, and so much more.

We must ensure the project is resilient in the face of climate change and is responsive to the unique environment in which we operate. The reward for doing so is that we can advance a critical, nation building project, which will grow the economy, and give Manitoba and Canada a new strategic trade hub – all with economic reconciliation built into the heart of our operations.

What type of contributions are you most proud of that HBR makes to the regional economy?

We have an opportunity to further develop a new strategic trade corridor for Canada, one that can help Canadian resources and critical minerals access new global markets, and build the North for the next generation. What we’re creating is an opportunity for Northerners and Indigenous communities to stand strong and on our own – in control of our own future.

Our commitment to economic reconciliation is at the heart of our Indigenous and community ownership model, ensuring that our operations align with the values and needs of local communities.

We also have an obligation to the land and the ecosystem, working in partnership with academia, to ensure we’re making evidence-based decisions that protect the environment and ensure the safe, reliable movement of goods.

When it comes down to it, it’s an investment in the future. Many young people behind us will have a better opportunity because of this work. Collectively we’re working with government and private sector partners, and we’ve laid out a new path where we can all walk together.

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