Article appeared in the Dec. 8, 2011 issue of the Interlake Spectator…
Winnipeg is ideally situated to be a major trading point in North America, and the Manitoba government is working on developing this potential, as it works on establishing a north-south trade corridor in order to give Canada a distance advantage for trade with Asian countries.
Centerport is one of the biggest files the Manitoba government is working on at this time, with a plan that spans 20 years until it sees completion. The project encompasses 20,000 acres of land within the City of Winnipeg, from west of Route 90 to the north of Inkster Blvd., taking in Winnipeg’s airport, Canada Post, Greyhound Bus, and the Red River Community College (RRCC), all significant trade-related infrastructure.
Development of Centerport’s capacity as an “air bridge” out of Winnipeg is the part of the Government of Manitoba’s plan to establish major trade routes in order to more easily access the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the world’s fastest growing economies.
“It puts us much more in the game from a global trading perspective, said Interlake MLA Tom Nevakshonoff, who is currently working on establishing trade relations with Russia.
The other part of the plan is to establish a “marine bridge” out of the Port of Churchill, which would not only facilitate international business, particularly with and India and Russia, but which could rescue the town of Churchill from a catastrophic fate now that the Canadian Wheat Board is on its way out.
Once the trade routes are established, the business community will pick up the ball, Nevakshonoff explained.
Nevakshonoff spent a week in Murmansk, Russia, from Nov. 18 to Nov. 25. Like Winnipeg, Murmansk is ideally situated in terms of its own trade potential. The trans-Siberian railway terminates there, a line that spans much of Asia.
Nevakshonoff led a delegation from Canada which made a visit to the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk for a conference. His role there was central, given that he speaks the Russian language.
Others in the delegation included representatives from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT), the Winnipeg Airport Authority, the Churchill Gateway Development Corporation, the City of Winnipeg, as well as the Canadian Ambassador to Russia, John Sloan.
The group met with the mayor of Krasnoyarsk, the Governor, the speaker of Parliament, the Russian Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, and numerous Russian companies. The conference follows on the heels of an Arctic conference hosted in Winnipeg last year at which Canada’s Russian counterparts attended. Culture, language and Aboriginal issues were discussed then.
Both Canada and Russia continue to work on establishing good relations with each other. Canada could greatly benefit, trade-wise, from better access to the east, while Russia has services it would like to offer to countries in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly services related to its elliptical orbit satellite technology, which enables the satellites to travel over the poles, giving complete coverage of the area.
Through this technology, Russia could offer services to Canada, such as tracking the effects of global warming, monitoring the environment in the Arctic, as well as television and cell phone communication services.
“We are prepared to enter into a feasibility study (with the Russians) to look at the challenges of developing this polar air route, and exploring the viability of incorporating their satellite technology, (as well as) looking at what types of goods can be viably transported by air,” Nevakshonoff said. “Hopefully, early next year we will be signing an agreement to do so.”
The study will provide the basis for further international economic development.
Within the next couple of months Russia will be undertaking a test flight to Winnipeg to prove that it is both technically possible and feasible to fly the 5,100 mile distance between the two countries.
