Arctic Gateway Group

Arctic Gateway Group LP
Company typeLimited partnership
IndustryTransportation
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
Headquarters
The Pas, Manitoba[1]
,
Canada
Area served
Northern Region, Manitoba
OwnerOneNorth[2]
Divisions
Websitearcticgateway.com

Arctic Gateway Group LP is a limited partnership that owns and operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway, which connects The Pas to Churchill, Manitoba.[3][4] It was originally formed as a public-private partnership; with a fifty percent share held by Missinippi Rail, a consortium of northern Manitoba First Nations and local governments, and the private share split between Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings and Regina-based grains company AGT Food and Ingredients.[5][6][7] Fairfax and AGT transferred their shares of Arctic Gateway to OneNorth (formerly Missinippi Rail) in March 2021, meaning that Arctic Gateway is completely owned by the local governments and Indigenous partners.[2][8]

Operations

On November 19, 2018, Murad Al-Katib, CEO of AGT Food and Ingredients announced that freight service along the HBR had begun and that passenger service was expected to begin by the end of November.[7] The first Via Rail passenger train service along the repaired HBR line arrived on December 4, 2018.[9]

While grain had traditionally been the major cargo shipped from the port, AGT CEO Al-Katib said the partnership would look into shipping potash, ore and petroleum products.[10] Al-Katib also said one possible revenue source could be foreign eco-tourists.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Contact". Arctic Gateway Group. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Port of Churchill, Hudson Bay Railway now completely owned by Northern Manitoba, Nunavut communities". Thompson Citizen. March 11, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  3. ^ Sean Kavanagh (2018-09-14). "Feds to spend $117M for Churchill railway sale, repairs". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-11-01. Of the announced funding, $74 million will be spent over the next three years to help cover the costs of buying and repairing the line and the port. The remaining $43 million will be spent over 10 years to pay for operations and to enhance the commercial viability of the line, the port and the tank farm.
  4. ^ Cameron MacIntosh (2018-11-01). "Churchill residents rejoice as rail service gets back on track". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-11-01. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement at the Port of Churchill this morning, as hundreds of residents gathered for a street party to celebrate the arrival last night of the first train into Churchill in 18 months.
  5. ^ "Railway to Churchill, Man., sold — repairs to begin 'immediately'". CBC News. 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-11-01. The railway and the Port of Churchill have been purchased from Denver-based Omnitrax Inc. by Arctic Gateway Group Limited Partnership, a private-public partnership that includes Missinippi Rail Limited Partnership, Fairfax Financial Holdings and AGT Limited Partnership.
  6. ^ "New Owners for Hudson Bay Rail Line". Western Economic Diversification Canada. Government of Canada. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  7. ^ a b Aidan Geary (2018-11-19). "Freight services back between Churchill and Thompson, Man". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-11-20. Arctic Gateway Group is a coalition of local rail-line communities, area First Nations, Saskatchewan grain and pulse trader AGT Food and Ingredients and Toronto holding company Fairfax Financial.
  8. ^ "Port of Churchill moves under 100% local and Indigenous ownership". RealAgriculture.com. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  9. ^ Darbyson, Kyle (December 5, 2018). "Passenger rail service finally returns to Churchill, heralds new tourism and research opportunities". Thompson Citizen. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Erin Brohman (2018-09-05). "Warm reception in Churchill for new owners of port and railway". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-11-01. Phase two applies to their long-term plans for the port and rail line, he said, as the consortium, with 50 per cent ownership by AGT and Fairfax, and 50 per cent by the communities, signed a 99-year management agreement.