Winnipeg to become a massive “inland port”

The Government of Manitoba has introduced legislation to build a huge “inland port” around Winnipeg’s international airport. The idea of CentrePort Canada is to take advantage of the city’s location close to the geographic centre of North America. Winnipeg is located on the International Mid transportation corridor, which gives access by road and rail south into the U.S. and Mexico via the Emerson Border. To the west are routes into Asia via the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, while to the northeast lie air cargo routes over the North Pole to Europe.

The CentrePort Canada Act enables the creation of a corporation to develop and run the port on 20 acres of land northwest of the James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. The inland port would be a massive trucking and rail depot, as well as having private distribution centres, warehouses and manufacturing plants.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed $100 million in federal funds to help develop the port when he was touring the province to observe flooding in the area in April. The total cost is estimated at $212 million. One of the first jobs is to build a four-lane expressway to link the port to the airport.

Canada Post is already building a new mail distribution plant east of the airport on 11 hectares of land.