CentrePort Canada
CentrePort Canada is a dry port located in Winnipeg and Rosser, Manitoba. It was created in 2008 by provincial legislation called the CentrePort Canada Act.[1] The Act established the mandate of CentrePort Canada and designated 20,000 acres to the tri-modal dry port, situated adjacent to the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. CentrePort Canada offers greenfield investment opportunities for a wide variety of business operations including distribution, warehousing and manufacturing.
In addition to a 24/7 international cargo airport, CentrePort Canada provides access to three class I rail carriers and national and international trucking routes. The Governments of Manitoba and Canada have invested $212.4 million for CentrePort Canada Way,[2] a 10 km expressway to better connect companies in the dry port to key gateways and corridors, which opened in November 2013. In March 2014, the Province of Manitoba announced it will double CentrePort Canada Way to by-pass the RM of Headingley and connect directly into the TransCanada Highway.[3]
Winnipeg, and the dry port are located near the geographic centre of North America. The city has direct connections to both the Port of Vancouver, and the Port of Prince Rupert, Canada's only major Pacific ports. Winnipeg also has a direct connection to Churchill, Manitoba, a major grain export facility and the only Canadian deep-water Arctic port.
CentrePort Canada is one of a growing number of inland terminals in North America and faces competition from other prairie centres such as Port Alberta or the Global Transportation Hub in Regina.
Since CentrePort's inception, 58 new companies have chosen to locate at the inland port. Notable companies include: ISCO Industries,[4] Arctic Beverages[5], SMS Equipment[6] and Imperial Seed.[7] The portion of the inland port that falls within the Rural Municipality of Rosser has access to a Special Planning Area to streamline the land development approval process.
In 2019, CentrePort plans to break ground on a new 665-acre Rail Park.
References
- Justice, Manitoba. "Manitoba Laws". web2.gov.mb.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- "CentrePort Canada Way open for business". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- "CentrePort Canada Way being extended to bypass Headingley". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- "American Piping Manufacturer Setting Up HQ at CentrePort". ChrisD.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- "Arctic Beverages Distributor Expands to CentrePort". ChrisD.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- "Heavy Equipment Operator Expands to CentrePort". ChrisD.ca. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- "Imperial Seed Opens in CentrePort". Winnipeg Free Press. July 11, 2017. Retrieved Feb 4, 2019.