MBiz

16 WINTER 2024 "As so many global airports are land- locked, we have a unique opportunity in Manitoba and can offer something others cannot — a place to grow," Hays says. "And that also means the jobs and economic benefits that come from ship- ping those products also stay right here in Manitoba." Even companies such as Fort Garry Fire Trucks — which ships its prod- ucts by land — enjoy the benefits of a tri-modal port. The homegrown fire apparatus manufacturer that had its start making buses in 1919 in a back lane between Fort and Garry streets is now one of the top 10 companies of its kind in North America. Along with a complete line of fire trucks, they manufacture rubber as well as water and septic trucks and have recently cre- ated a home base in CentrePort. From there, their trucks are shipped primarily around Canada and the United States, but they also ship internationally — as far as the United Arab Emirates, where 54 of their fire trucks are utilized by the military. "For us, we're in a CentrePort busi- ness port because we want to be close to the airport," says Fort Garry Fire Trucks' CEO Rick Suche, who recently celebrated his 45th year with the company. "We don't ship by air but generally our customers will come in for a preconstruction meeting and a final inspection. It's very important also being close to the road transportation. Ninety-nine per cent of our trucks are driven out because we hire contract fire chiefs who have the proper training that will drive the trucks." For Fort Garry Fire Trucks and other local manufacturers, shipping interna- tionally typically involves first moving their goods to ports outside of the province or country. But another rapidly growing supply chain solution could change their way of doing business — while reimagining Northern Manitoba as a coastal community. Enter the Port of Churchill — the only Northern Arctic seaport in Canada that's rail connected to the southern parts of the country and the only seaport in the Prairies. Its very existence makes Manitoba a "maritime province", says Chris Avery, CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, a fully Indigenous and communi- ty-owned partnership that operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway. "I think from a supply chain perspec- tive, we are a very unique story for Manitoba," he says. The Port of Churchill was opened in 1931 and remained under federal government ownership until it was sold along with the Hudson Bay Railway to American company OmniTRAX in 1997. Tensions mounted as OmniTRAX con- tinued to profit from the gateways but failed to reinvest in their infrastructure and into the country itself. Things came to a head in 2017 when the company refused to fix the railway after signifi- cant spring flooding washed it out and imperilled the northern communities it was servicing. The Government of Canada finan- cially supported the acquisition of the rail line and port, and in 2018 Arctic Gateway Group assumed ownership of what's now referred to as the Arctic Trade Corridor. They have since been tirelessly refurbishing the abandoned railway (which is now fully functional) and surrounding highways along with the port to create a supply chain option with huge potential. "This gateway to the direct line from the Port of Churchill through the Hudson Bay into the Atlantic gives the vast natural resources of Western Canada access to the most global markets in the most direct and efficient way," Avery says. CLEARING A PATH TO SUCCESS CONT. PHOTOS BY DARCY FINLEY Rick Suche, CEO of Fort Garry Fire Trucks

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