The Hudson Bay Route Association is hoping for a crowd of 150 at its April 15-16 annual meeting in Virden, Man.
That’s if the roads, many of which are being washed away with rising flood waters, allow people to travel through western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan.
The association promotes the use of the Port of Churchill and the rail line that feeds it.
The port is coming off its second best season in terms of tonnage with total shipments in 2010 reaching 685,298 tonnes.
Long-time president Arnold Grambo said he intends to resign after 17 years on the board.
Grambo said he’s confident a good young group of directors is ready to take over.
The association’s website lists key lissues it says must be addressed to keep the port’s momentum:
- Churchill grain is excluded from the Canadian Transportation Agency’s revenue cap calculation;
- the multi-car rebate enshrined in grain legislation does not apply to Churchill;
- the rail line from Tisdale, Sask., to Hudson Bay, Sask., is not in operation, which forces grain from Prince Albert and east to travel an extra 320 kilometres through Canora, Sask., to reach Churchill;
- mainline railways refuse to interchange rail cars for Churchill-bound traffic at the most direct route location, forcing grain to travel in a circuitous route;
- Canadian National Railway is threatening to delist 53 producer car loading sites in Western Canada;
- the port and its railway need upgrading;
- the Churchill shipping season needs to be extended, which includes addressing longstanding issues such as marine insurance, Coast Guard and ice-breaker service and tug service problems.
- cost-competitive fertilizer imports need to be increased through Churchill;
- dust-free, primary road corridor needs to be completed to The Pas, Man.
- producer car loading facility is needed at The Pas;
- independent study needed to help verify Churchill route savings.
Convention chair Elden Boon of Virden said a major issue will be getting federal coast guard and ice class salvage tugs in service similar to other ports.
“Our closest tug if a vessel gets in distress in the bay is in Halifax,” said Boon.
