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Posted 15 May 2017 - 12:43 PM
Residents rail against U.S. company as Port Churchill’s future is on the line
Put aside lumber and milk for a moment. Canada’s ugliest cross-border business brawl is unfolding along a rickety railroad, balanced on permafrost, in northern Manitoba. Whoever wins gets control of Canadian shipping out of the Arctic — and locals say that control should no longer rest with the U.S. company that has held it for 20 years.
http://business.fina...-is-on-the-line
Administrator
Posted 06 August 2017 - 12:00 PM
Winnipeg Free Press, 8/4/17:
Omnitrax bound by law to fix rail lines to Churchill: experts
OMNITRAX
Omnitrax says it will cost as much as $60 million to repair its Hudson Bay Railway line.
OTTAWA — Omnitrax could be legally compelled to fix its damaged rail line to Churchill under federal rules that prohibit companies from abandoning train lines, experts in transportation law say.
The Denver-based firm could be held accountable for the added costs of transporting supplies north, experts say, citing a February regulatory decision that found another rail company liable for refusing to repair a bridge.
"Federal railway companies have an obligation to provide service for traffic offered on their lines, and that’s a statutory obligation," said Lucia Stuhldreier, a lawyer with the Vancouver firm McMillan, who specializes in rail-transportation agreements.
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Related topics:
Residents rail as Port Churchill’s future is on the line
VIA Rail service to Churchill, MB suspended due to flooding, damage
Administrator
Posted 01 June 2018 - 07:45 AM
Digital Journal, 5/30/18:
First Nations partner with groups to purchase railway route
A tentative deal has been reached to bring both the port of Churchill and the rail line from the port on Hudson's Bay south to the Pas back under Canadian ownership after the US company Omnitrax refused to repair flooded and damaged tracks.Indigenous groups and others involved in the deal
The Canadian federal government announced that a number of First Nations many of whom depend on the rail line and also groups representing northern communities, One North and Missinippi LP, have joined up with Fairfax Financial Holdings to purchase the port and railway from Omnitrax.
Fairfax, an investment company based in Toronto had announced back in November 2017 their intent to try along with others to purchase the railroad There are 30 First Nations and 11 communities in northern Manitoba as well as others participating in the project. Specifics of the deal have such as financing, and a timeline have not been announced.
Omnitrax owner Pat Broe and Fairfax president Paul Rivett negotiated the agreement but a number of legal issues need to be completed before the deal is finalized.
Administrator
Posted 19 July 2018 - 09:56 PM
Winnipeg Free Press, 7/15/18:
Omnitrax argues it has right to delay fixing Churchill line until railway has cash
OTTAWA — Omnitrax says it has a right to retain its washed-out railway to Churchill without fixing it until its subsidiary has enough cash, in its appeal of last month’s regulatory order to immediately start repairs to the Hudson Bay Railway.
"The order demands that HBR get blood from a stone," the company’s lawyer argued in filings to the Federal Court of Appeal, submitted on July 6.
Administrator
Posted 31 August 2018 - 07:42 PM
CBC News 8/29/18:
Deal for sale of Churchill line 'will be completed shortly,' Hudson Bay Railway assures federal regulator
Window for repairing tracks before winter is closing
The rail line to Canada's only deep-water arctic port was damaged by flooding more than a year ago. Hudson Bay Railway says a deal for the sale of the rail line is close. (Mike Spence/Town of Churchill)
Hudson Bay Railway is telling Canada's federal transportation regulator a deal to sell the rail line leading to Churchill, Man., is imminent.
That statement comes from a response Hudson Bay Railway has given to the Canadian Transportation Agency, as part of an order the company is under to start repairing the flooded rail line to the northern Manitoba town.
"The negotiations on the Share Purchase Agreement have progressed to the point where both sides' present expectation is that the share purchase will be completed shortly," lawyers for HBR wrote to the transportation agency on Monday.
Administrator
Posted 10 September 2018 - 09:07 AM
CBC News, 9/5/18:
Company fixing Churchill rail line says repairs will be complete in 60 days
Repairs on the Hudson Bay Railway set to begin Sept. 8
Repairs to the Churchill rail line will be complete in 60 days, according to one of two companies doing the work.
"We have been mobilizing pretty much ever since Friday," said Marc Breault, president and founder of Paradox Access Solutions, an Edmonton-based company hired to repair the railway tracks.
The repairs are set to begin Sept. 8. Breault says his company's chief engineer is already in Gillam, Man., assessing the situation. The goal is to fix the tracks in under two months so that winter weather conditions don't delay the project, he said.
Administrator
Posted 15 September 2018 - 06:11 PM
Thompson Citizen, Manitoba, Canada 9/14/18:
New Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill owners getting $117M financial injection from the feds
The federal government is contributing $117 million towards Arctic Gateway’s purchase and operation of the Hudson Bay Railway, Port of Churchill and the Churchill marine tank farm. A repair crew is seen here removing the first section of track from a washout on Sept. 14.Photograph By Arctic GatewayThe federal government is providing $117 million to the new owners of the Hudson Bay Railway, Port of Churchill and Churchill marine tank farm, International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr announced in Winnipeg Sept. 14.
The federal funding includes $74 million from Western Economic Diversification for the purchase and repair of the railway and port . . .
Administrator
Posted 16 September 2018 - 02:42 PM
Benzinga, 9/14/18:
Government of Canada announces support for acquisition and repair of Churchill rail line by Arctic Gateway Group
WINNIPEG, MB, Sept. 14, 2018 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada believes in the future and long term prosperity of northern Manitoba.
Today, the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada, announced an investment of $117 million to the Arctic Gateway Group through the Western Diversification Program. It allows this historic private-public partnership that blends First Nations and community ownership and Canadian private sector leadership, to take over ownership of the Hudson Bay Rail Company, the Hudson Bay Port Company and the Churchill Marine Tank Farm.
The Government is making good on its commitment to restore this critical railway line to Churchill and surrounding communities. . . .
Administrator
Posted 01 November 2018 - 08:24 AM
CBC News Manitoba 10/31/18:
'Our hearts are just filled with joy': 1st train in over a year arrives in Churchill
Churchill Mayor Mike Spence, right, shakes hands with the crew on the first train to arrive in the Manitoba community since May 2017. (Patrick Foucault/CBC)
A train rolled into Churchill, Man., on Wednesday evening for the first time in more than a year after spring flooding damaged the tracks and severed the town's only land link to the rest of the province.
The train pulled in just before 6:45 p.m. CT on Wednesday, surprising many of the residents, who hadn't expected it to arrive until the next day.
People, including many kids in Halloween costumes, rushed down to the tracks to watch the arrival. Many smiled and took pictures, while others hugged each other.
SNIP
The community is planning a street party to celebrate on Thursday and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to attend. Jim Carr, federal minister of international trade diversification, is also scheduled to announce support for business development in northern Manitoba later in the afternoon.
Administrator
Posted 26 February 2024 - 02:36 PM
Progressive Railroading, 2/28/24
Arctic Gateway obtains more funding for Hudson Bay Railway, Churchill port projects
Canadian federal and Manitoba provincial officials last week announced a joint investment of up to CA$60 million for the Arctic Gateway Group to use to finish work on the Hudson Bay Railway and start redevelopment at the Port of Churchill.
The projects will benefit the communities and sectors of the economy that depend on the Arctic Gateway Group's operations, federal and provincial officials said in a news release.
The Arctic Gateway Group is a partnership of 41 First Nation and Bayline communities in Manitoba. The Hudson Bay Railway — which is owned and operated by the group — provides passenger- and freight-rail services.
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