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Grain ships from Port of Churchill for first time in 6 years · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: Okay. So this is a big day for Churchill, Manitoba.
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  Speaker 1: And so to talk more about it, we've reached the mayor,
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  Speaker 1: Mike Spence. Mike, thank you very much for your time
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  Speaker 1: and a big day for the town. Also a big
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  Speaker 1: day for you. I hear it's your birthday. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: very much and happy birthday.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you. Yes, it is. It's an exciting day
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  Speaker 2: actually getting green back to the Port of Churchill after
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  Speaker 2: six years, vessel being loaded. We've got our young young
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  Speaker 2: crew of Indigenous Northern folks that are busy loading the vessel.
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  Speaker 2: It's a great day.
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  Speaker 1: Nice birthday present for you?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I have a few similar to this.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, absolutely. So what has gone into this? I mean,
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  Speaker 1: the rest of Canada has heard a lot about this port.
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  Speaker 1: We've heard the Premier of Manitoba talking about it, saying,
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  Speaker 1: you know, open for business. And now here we have
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  Speaker 1: more business coming to it. So talk to me a
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  Speaker 1: little bit about that. why it's been six years and
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  Speaker 1: how you've made that how this.
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  Speaker 2: Has happened well we got to remember going back uh
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  Speaker 2: going back about eight years ago we uh we became
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  Speaker 2: owners of the portland rail line and it was basically
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  Speaker 2: it's a historic achievement by doing that where you got
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  Speaker 2: northerners and indigenous people taking control of your destiny has
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  Speaker 2: has your fully aware you know in the past uh
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  Speaker 2: We had outside interests taking control and didn't reinvest in
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  Speaker 2: the infrastructure, didn't reinvest in the north, and naturally it
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  Speaker 2: left us in a situation of uncertainty, like the lifeline
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  Speaker 2: of a rail line, getting out to southern markets, whether
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  Speaker 2: it be shopping or doctor's appointments. You know, we just said, look,
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  Speaker 2: we're going to take control over Destiny. We're going to
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  Speaker 2: take ownership to this. It was people like the late
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  Speaker 2: Jim Carr who really understood the picture in terms of
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  Speaker 2: what we were talking about. So we came to that conclusion. 2018,
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  Speaker 2: we signed the deal. We became co-owners of the port.
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  Speaker 2: Two years later, 2020, we became owners. So we're taking
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  Speaker 2: control over Destiny. You know, it's high time that northerners...
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  Speaker 2: you know, reinvest in what we have and we'll do that.
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  Speaker 2: And so it's a great thing. Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: We've heard quite a bit about the extension or the
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  Speaker 1: extending of the shipping season. Can I ask you, I
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  Speaker 1: don't know that much about why it's now going to
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  Speaker 1: be a longer season. Does that have to do with
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  Speaker 1: ice melt or why is it that, you know, you
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  Speaker 1: can be shipping more months? Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: You know, it's always been the cause. Like, you've got
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  Speaker 2: to remember, like going back in time, the Lloyds of
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  Speaker 2: London were controlling the dates of the shipping season. And so,
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  Speaker 2: you know, over time, you know, you look at the science, like,
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  Speaker 2: for instance, every step of the way, as owners of
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  Speaker 2: the port, we brought science and research into the equation
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  Speaker 2: to really help us focus in terms of you know,
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  Speaker 2: the business plan moving forward. So it's always been a focus.
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  Speaker 2: So this is real. This is not new. It, you know,
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  Speaker 2: other parts of other ownerships of other commodities do the
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  Speaker 2: same thing. You know, we're not indifferent. But what we're
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  Speaker 2: looking at is we're looking at a clearer picture of
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  Speaker 2: the investment that needs to be made. So here we are.
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  Speaker 1: I'm asking, though, I'm just wondering about environmental concerns because
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  Speaker 1: I hear these voices and I don't know.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean, one of the things that's strictly
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  Speaker 2: important at every step of the way as Indigenous Northern people,
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  Speaker 2: we understand the importance, you know, as stakeholders, gatekeepers of
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  Speaker 2: the environment. You know, that's critical. Every step of the
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  Speaker 2: way is critical. You know, we don't need to understand
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  Speaker 2: or to listen to environmentalists outside the community telling us
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  Speaker 2: what to do. We strictly understand in terms of the
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  Speaker 2: environment and where we go forward. So we're taking that
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  Speaker 2: every step of the way. So as we extend the season,
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  Speaker 2: extend the port and rail line, we're looking at it
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  Speaker 2: every step of the way. And that's critically important.
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  Speaker 1: Sure. And let me just ask you finally, because it's
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  Speaker 1: not just the Manitoba Premier we hear talking about the port.
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  Speaker 1: We also hear federal politicians talking about it as well.
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  Speaker 1: What do you in Churchill need? I mean, what are
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  Speaker 1: you looking for in order for there to be the
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  Speaker 1: expansion that I think you're anticipating and hoping to move
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  Speaker 1: forward on?
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  Speaker 2: You know, in every step of the way in terms
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  Speaker 2: of the, and we've always made it known, for instance,
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  Speaker 2: any expansion of anything, it's going to take Northerners, it's
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  Speaker 2: going to take Indigenous people to go through this and
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that the choices that are made are
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  Speaker 2: respectful in every step of the way.
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  Speaker 1: And so I was gonna say, so in terms of
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  Speaker 1: resources though, if the port expands, I assume Churchill, potentially
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  Speaker 1: population expands, do you envision that as being a good thing?
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  Speaker 1: Do you have the resources to meet that?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, like I said, like everything that we
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  Speaker 2: do nationally is gonna take some partnerships to make it happen.
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  Speaker 2: It's gonna take the federal, provincial, private sector responsibility to.
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  Speaker 1: Make it happen.
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  Speaker 2: Like, you know, we nationally, you know, the North's been
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  Speaker 2: neglected far too long. You know, the resources have been
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  Speaker 2: taken out with little give back to anything that we do. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the blend here is the balance. Like, as
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  Speaker 2: you know, Churchill is an international tourism destination. So we
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  Speaker 2: will find a balance as we get through this to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that, you know, we have a North that's
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  Speaker 2: prosperous in all aspects of being prosperous in.
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  Speaker 1: Mayor of Churchill, Mike Spence, thanks for your time.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.