Laying the tracks for prosperity in the North

The Bayline railroad has been a part of our Cree family for decades. My grandfather, Adam dyck, who grew up in Split Lake, Man. (now known as the Tatskweyak Cree Nation) worked the Bayline, the affectionate name for the Hudson Bay Railway, which runs for 1,300 kilometres through northeastern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba.

My father, uncle and son worked for the railway and I have another uncle who was born on the train. His name? Bayline dyck. Not to be outdone by my uncle, I was born at a railroad work camp south of Churchill, Man.

We are like many First Nations families who have been tied to the railroad for generations and that is why we cannot stand idly by and watch it die. For us, and for non-indigenous communities of northern Manitoba, it is a lifeline.

The railway connects us to the rest of Canada and to the world. It brings critical supplies to our communities, including food, medicine and building materials.

A cost-benefit analysis conducted by Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the university of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business, found that it is up to three times more expensive to bring in supplies by air, compared to rail. The costs of getting fuel and other supplies by plane to Nunavut is also much higher.

First Nations throughout Manitoba joined non-indigenous communities to form an organization called Onenorth to rescue the railway after an American company called OMNITRAX allowed it to deteriorate and then walked away.

Since then, we have attracted private sector partners, AGT Food and Ingredients and Fairfax Financial Holdings, and formed the Arctic Gateway Group to develop a vision for not only the railway, but for the Port of Churchill and its storage facilities, as well.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government stepped forward to support our efforts with a $127-million investment in 2018. The prime minister said our collaboration provides, “Security and economic prosperity to northern Manitobans and demonstrates the art of the possible when we work together to build a prosperous Canada.”

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt our region a severe economic blow and the cost of fixing the tracks running through muskeg has been much higher than expected. Without an additional investment from the federal and Manitoba governments, the train could fall silent once again before the year ends.

We cannot allow that to happen and that is why we have made an urgent request to the governments of Canada and Manitoba to step forward with an additional investment, which will not only save the train, but also create jobs and revitalize our pandemic-ravaged economy.

Our plan is to repair and upgrade the railway and develop an integrated transportation network for the 21st century. Goods would move in a more cost-effective, efficient and environmentally sustainable way to northern Manitoba, Nunavut and international markets through the upgraded Port of Churchill, Canada’s only rail-connected deepwater port with access to the Arctic — all of which are vital components of our broader vision for Canada’s North.

This is not just about nostalgia. It is a bold vision for the future that has been widely embraced by an unprecedented number of First Nations and non-indigenous communities in Manitoba, as well as Nunavut, where many remote villages deal with chronic food insecurity and fuel shortages.

The Arctic Transportation and Trade Corridor is an opportunity for Canada to export its resources to world markets via a much shorter year-round shipping route, which will significantly reduce Canada’s carbon footprint.

The corridor would not only provide continued employment for 150 workers, half of whom are Indigenous, it will also create jobs and training for 200 additional workers.

Prof. Prentice’s cost-benefit analysis found that the Arctic Transportation and Trade Corridor created $18.7 million worth of commercial activity during its first full year of operation and that an additional investment would bring a rate of return of 21 per cent over the long term.

My grandfather grew up just as the second phase of Treaty 5 was being negotiated between our people and the Crown. I am sure that he would be proud to see that our company, the Arctic Gateway Group, is co-owned by First Nations and that the historic relationship forged during his time would continue to bear fruit.

I look forward to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren having an opportunity to be part of a Canadian company that moves the best of Canada to global markets and brings the world to us.

THE TRAIN COULD FALL SILENT ONCE AGAIN BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS.