Northern Manitoba’s economy on the move
A critical mass of public, private and community partners is driving economic development in the North, which aims to lead Manitoba into the global supply of critical minerals powering electronics.
Northern communities and residents are on the cusp of seeing thousands of jobs open in prospective mining and extraction activities, driven by hydro-electric development and Manitoba’s natural wealth in critical minerals, said Christian Sinclair, who co-chaired Look North, a provincial task force that produced the northern economic development strategy.
Sinclair and other panel members were hosted by the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast session called Unleashing Economic Opportunities in Northern Manitoba.
The business crowd heard Manitoba is experiencing its highest level of exploration and development in the province’s history, and Northern Manitoba will be a major beneficiary of that growth. That comes as good news to the ears of residents, businesses and governments in the region. Since 2017, jobs in the mining industry in Manitoba have fallen by 50%, to about 4,100.
Sinclair, former chief of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, said his optimism is driven by new prospects, including the energy company Fortescue Future Industries, which is looking to develop green energy (such as that derived from hydrogen) to aid the transmission of power to and from mining operations. A prospective computer manufacturing enterprise may be its assembly plant to Flin Flon, he added.
And the stores of lithium in Manitoba are turning mining exploration and development eyes North, as well.
Philip Gross, CEO of Snow Lake Lithium, said Manitoba, and by extension Canada, can ride the wave as the globe move towards the precipice of the 4th industrial revolution – a term used to describe the sea change expected in the way technology and society are rewired due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation.
No other region is better placed to gain on this than Manitoba, with its population, mining legacy, and geographical proximity to markets.
Michael Woelke, CEO of Arctic Gateway Group, said the rebuilding and upgrading of the rail line is underway and the Group sees that in 2023 the line will be worked on to carry minerals. Arctic Gateway owns and operates the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill. It has received financial assistance from government programs, including a recent $133 million to upgrade the Hudson Bay Railway.
“Churchill is the shortest route to Europe,” he reminded the crowd. In fact, he said, it is shorter to ship out of Churchill to Brazil than to go through Vancouver’s ports, which necessitate navigating (and paying) through the Panama Canal.
There is excitement in Europe – especially Germany – about the potential of sourcing hydrogen from Northern Manitoba, he said: “We have hydro power and infrastructure, and we have the minerals.”
Woelke and his fellow panelists said a major driving force behind this development fever is the fact that Western nations are looking to balance China’s geopolitical influence, which is in large part drawn from its trade prominence but also the fact it is the source of 80% of critical minerals.
Gross said the West needs to develop “energy independence” to ensure continued prosperity and security.
Sinclair cautioned that the progress is dependent on developers and governments making good on the Constitutional obligation that requires meaningful consultation with First Nations, a cornerstone of strong, timely resource development.
He said if the private and public sector actors fail to get consultation and engagement of Indigenous communities right, development stalls, stops or takes a protracted course.
