A long-proposed utility corridor and deepwater port through the prairies to the Hudson’s Bay is a step closer to fruition after the project backers received the go-ahead for a feasibility study from the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.Calgary-based NeeStaNan announced on Tuesday it is initiating the first phase of the study to explore the development of a utility corridor and a multimodal deep-sea port facility on the shores of Hudson Bay. The new corridor and port will create new trade routes and critical infrastructure for the prairie provinces to gain better access to markets for agricultural products, minerals, bulk commodities and energy including oil sands, potash and LNG.It comes after the election of Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew last October..“It is made possible through collaboration within a number of First Nation communities and key stakeholders from both industry and government — all of whom regard the project as a significant and material step towards economic reconciliation and northern development,”NeeStaNan.The route, extending from Fort McMurray to Port Nelson, would integrate the electrical grid in Western Canada by creating a new demand for Manitoba’s hydro-generated electricity, in turn providing sustainable, cleaner energy to replace CO2-emitting fuels.Port Nelson is considered a more logical choice for an export port than Churchill — or even Vancouver — because it is 630 km closer by rail to tidewater than ports on the West Coast and 3,800 km closer to market by ship to Brazil and South American markets for Saskatchewan potash.The corridor will consist of a contiguous assembly of lands, all under 100% control of First Nations and indigenous communities.Sandford Gauchier, one of several indigenous directors of NeeStaNan, said the corridor and port facilities will be a legacy project for First Nations communities everywhere. “It is made possible through collaboration within a number of First Nation communities and key stakeholders from both industry and government — all of whom regard the project as a significant and material step towards economic reconciliation and northern development,” said the release.
