Mathias Colomb Cree Nation formally announced it’s intent to purchase the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill from Omnitrax Canada, in a press conference hosted in Winnipeg on Jan. 15. Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (MCCN) Chief Arlen Dumas was joined by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MK)0 Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson and Omnitrax Canada president Merv Tweed to discuss MCCNs intentions for the future of the port and rail line. The two parties currently remain within a 45-day period of due diligence, during which details of the sale will be resolved, and after which the sale will be finalized.
“The way we’ve been doing business in the north is a convention of an outdated time,” Dumas stated, “whereas we bring forward an opportunity to do things in a meaningful way, and use the various strengths and leverage we have afforded to us. We bring forward our desire to protect the environment, and to provide support and services to our communities.“
Dumas noted that the First Nations group already has considerable experience in operating a number of transport and infrastructure ventures, including Keewatin Railways, which factored into their decision to continue to invest into the railway “We’ve had very tangible success, from our First Nations perspective, in how we move forward in various economic activities that we’ve participated in. We’ve operated a successful airline, we have a construction company, we have created arrangements with other allies and other companies, and the experience that we’re bringing forward will be different than what has been done before, because we have lived the experience of living in the north. That’s why it’s very important that everyone realize that this initiative we’re taking on is historic, is not conventional.”
Despite its successes, however, Dumas acknowledges that the venture will be a significantly larger venture than MCCN has undertaken before, and will require co-operation among several parties. “I’m proud to say that never before have we had so many educated First Nations people, so many skilled people available. But in the north, our companies are very youthful, and there needs to be a strategy as to how we will be training and developing that workforce as we move forward, and we’re going to need those people who have that corporate knowledge and the skill set to move forward.”
Both federal and provincial governments are involved in discussions to support the development of the railway, though Dumas noted it was too early to speak with confidence regarding what form that support might take. When pressed, he stressed that funding was only one part of MCCN’s multitude of concerns: “The federal government has made statements that there is a commitment to the north, and a desire to move our communities forward, and our nation forward, for that matter. It’s important to say that we can’t just focus on money; our main focus is the people. I want to make sure that all of the people in War Lake, Split Lake, Gillam, all have access to the railway.”
This echoes sentiments previously expressed by Tweed, who believed that the rail belonged with an organization that could effectively run the rail as an essential service, rather than simply as a for-profit enterprise. For communities like War Lake, the railway represents the only all-season route in and out of the community; with most winter roads having yet to open, the railway’s importance has never been more evident.
North Wilson congratulated MCCN on their initiative. “It’s an example of strength and innovative ingenuity that this community and its leadership have. We have a lot of strength and power in the north that’s untapped, including our people. This is part of the future in Northern Manitoba and MKO territory, and we’re glad to see partners coming in to look at the possibilities of creating a better future of the north.”
Tweed also expressed his confidence that the rail and port were being passed into good hands: “My objective was to make the railway and the port work more efficiently, and how to diversify. About a year ago, we came to the conclusion was that one of the ways for this railway to operate and be successful was to have local ownership. We reached out to the First Nations communities, and Chief Dumas became engaged with us very early, and we were really impressed with what he and his communities have been able to accomplish. I think this is really just returning the railway to its natural ownership, and we’re fully supportive of it.”
