GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE
lakes? It’s no joke. Manitoba’s lakes account for about one-sixth of the province’s land surface. Lorenc says that nearness to freshwater is a huge attraction for many businesses with “an appetite for water.” “For industries that need water as part of their input (process) like food processing, agriculture, manufacturing and mining, that’s important because it’s part of the input of the process of adding value,” he explains. Manitoba is also home to Canada’s only Arctic deep-water seaport, the Port of Churchill, a strategically important gateway that connects the North to the broader North American railway network. Churchill has generated consider- able discussion of late due to resumed shipments of grain as well as con- tinued shipments of critical minerals and the port’s first-ever shipment of potash. The Province of Manitoba has also proposed an $80-million energy and LNG expansion and is offering a retail sales tax exemption to attract international investment.
“Our geographic advantage is something we inherited at birth and shame on us if we squander it,” he says. Lorenc points out that another advan- tage of Manitoba’s location is fast and easy access to agriculture resources such as canola, wheat, oats, barley and flax. “We’re in the middle of a huge agri- cultural production region with more robust and longer growing seasons than our competitors,” he says. “That creates advantages for companies that want to have processing facilities close to their raw materials.” Did you hear the one about Manitoba being the land of 100,000
That focus on Churchill and the potential of Manitoba’s northern trade corridor is music to the ears of Chris Avery, president and CEO of the Arctic Gateway Group, the partnership that owns and operates the port. “Investing in the Port of Churchill makes a ton of sense. It makes Manitoba a Maritime province and it allows the vast resources we have in Manitoba, in Saskatchewan, in Alberta and even B.C. direct access to tidewater from the Port of Churchill and, from there, a shorter sailing distance to Europe and other transatlantic markets,” Avery says. “Our prime minister says Canada has what the world wants and needs, which is absolutely true but if we can’t get it to them, it’s not that useful. So we need more ports and we need more trade- enabling infrastructure.” Any additional trade-enabling infrastruc- ture would build on the significant assets already in place in Churchill, including a 9,200-foot paved runway capable of accommodating large aircraft, fibre-optic connectivity, and established health and hospital services.
Photo supplied
You’ve waited, assessed, and hoped for a better outcome. Now may be the time for a real time HUMAN language partner to go the distance.
New Markets...New Opportunities It’s all about building trust. That’s CanTalk. Always has been, always will be.
cantalk.com
info@cantalk.com
844-363-4043
39 WINTER 2026
Powered by FlippingBook