Federal Budget 2025 Builds Significant Momentum for the Port of Churchill
Churchill’s established infrastructure gives Canada a proven way to help diversify Canadian trade: Avery
November 5, 2025, Winnipeg, MB – In a speech this morning to the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Arctic Gateway Group President and CEO, Chris Avery, welcomed the strong commitment to the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay Railway in Budget 2025, which positions the Port of Churchill as a key part of Canada’s plan to diversify trade and build Canada’s future economy.
The federal government reconfirmed $180 million over the next five years to continue strengthening the Hudson Bay Railway and diversifying operations at the Port of Churchill. The Port of Churchill Plus project is highlighted multiple times in Budget 2025 as a nation-building initiative.
“Port of Churchill Plus represents a unique opportunity to diversify Canada’s trade, strengthen our global energy leadership, assert sovereignty in the Arctic, and advance Indigenous economic reconciliation.”
“Port of Churchill Plus represents a unique opportunity to diversify Canada’s trade, strengthen our global energy leadership, assert sovereignty in the Arctic, and advance Indigenous economic reconciliation,” said Avery.
This has been a year of progress for the Arctic Gateway Group. The Port of Churchill now has three times the critical mineral storage capacity it did last year and has completed its second consecutive season of shipping critical minerals to Europe. The Hudson Bay Railway is in the best condition in its history, supported by modern monitoring tools that have made it more reliable than ever. Looking ahead, Arctic Gateway Group is diversifying its partnerships and expanding exports across critical minerals, potash, agricultural products, and, through the Port of Churchill Plus initiative, exploring opportunities in Canadian energy.
Working closely with the federal government and Province of Manitoba, as well as experienced northern shipping companies, such as Nunavut Sealink and Supply Inc.(NSSI) and FedNav, whose new icebreaking bulk carrier appears on the cover of Budget 2025, Arctic Gateway Group is advancing its efforts toward extended and year-round shipping through Churchill.
“Our mission is to use our infrastructure to improve the lives of those in our ownership communities, as well as in Manitoba and across Canada.”
“Our mission is to use our infrastructure to improve the lives of those in our ownership communities, as well as in Manitoba and across Canada,” Avery added. “We’re proud to be part of this next chapter of nation building, working with our Indigenous and northern ownership communities, Industry, the investment community, and government partners to grow Canada’s Arctic trade corridor.”