The owners of the
port of Churchill on James Bay have closed it down before any grain
could be shipped.
It has been kept
alive for decades, despite problems with the rail line running
through muskeg and rumours that the grain terminals are slowly
sliding into the bay.
But a strong lobby
by farmers and grain companies has, until now, kept it open with
arguments that it moves a lot of grain and is the shortest route to
European markets. They also hoped that global warming would keep the
shipping lines open longer every season.
But Manitoba Premier
Brian Pallister says Omnitrax kept it going last year only because
the NDP government he defeated secretly gave it $500,000.
He said there’s a
confidentiality clause in the deal with Omnitrax. He obviously does
not feel himself bound by that government commitment and he said his
government will not provide the money Omnitrax sought for this
season.
