Indigenous BUSINESS REPORT 33 NORTHERN SPOTLIGHT to put them. Development, in other words, is outpacing the community’s capacity to absorb it. There is also a quieter constraint that no market-sounding study will resolve: people. The workforce that ran the port around the clock has largely moved on in the years since the 2017 washout, and the town has little capacity to absorb a new one. Port contractors are already being housed in a rebuilt work camp because any expanded port would be competing for hands with the industry that carried the town through the lean years. “This town is probably split,” Daley says. “Everyone wants to see good jobs that come here, where people can be working at the port again. And then half of the people want to protect the tourism part of it.” BALANCE Churchill’s economy survived the port’s collapse because tourism endured. Polar bears, belugas and the Northern lights carried locally owned busi- nesses through the years when freight disappeared. Today, some residents welcome industrial expansion; others worry about protecting the economy that carried the town through. Daley understands both. He wants the port to grow, and Northern communities to benefit. He is simply wary of moving faster than the evidence permits. Ownership may determine where the wealth goes. It does not guarantee that development will unfold at the pace every community wants. That is the next test. The biggest promise surrounding Churchill remains the most uncertain. Whether the port can evolve into a year- round Arctic shipping hub is still a ques- tion under study, not settled fact. Today, the shipping season lasts roughly four months. Extending it would demand new icebreaking capacity, sufficient commercial demand, environmental approvals and infrastructure to support the traffic. That work is underway. Ottawa has commissioned outreach of senior executives from the mining, energy, grain, potash and Northern resupply sectors. Fednav, Canada’s largest international dry-bulk shipper, is examining the operational require- ments of longer Arctic seasons. The Arctic Research Foundation is leading a Canada-Manitoba icebreaker feasi- bility study, and Manitoba has launched an assessment of a potential marine- protected area in western Hudson Bay. The evidence, for once, is being gath- ered before the decisions are made. For most of Churchill’s history, the North watched others decide what would become of its greatest transportation corridor. Today, the people making those decisions largely live along the railway itself. Whether that delivers lower grocery bills, stronger commu- nities and a more resilient Northern economy is a story yet to be written. But unlike every chapter before it, this one belongs to the North. Contracting & Electrical Services A strong foundation has led to an even stronger company. We are currently focused on working with remote First Nation communities, and have completed many dozens of new homes, repaired 29 RNOT airports and continuously worked together to upgrade electrical services to our many communities. Founder Premier Award - Confederation Alumni President Award 2016 - Inspirational Woman of the Year - Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 markat.ca Kateri Banning While transport through Churchill Port has increased during the warmer months, it is still being determined whether the port can evolve into a year-round Arctic shipping hub
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