Churchill Manitoba to become major sea port?
Russia offers to break the ice on the route to Port Churchill
Russia's Transport Minister is urging the federal government to open Churchill, Man., as a year-round port, saying his country's modern icebreaker fleet can now accomplish what some fear global warming will do in a few decades. In a visit to Ottawa this week, Transport Minister Igor Levitin urged his federal and Manitoba counterparts to step up efforts to realize the centuries-old dream of a polar shipping route, in this case linking Asian and North American markets. Similarly, Mr. Levitin wants Canada to expand the role of the Winnipeg airport as a key hub in an Asia-to-North America air transit circle route.
He said the bilateral talks on the so-called Arctic Bridge sea route have been on the back burner for the past 15 years, but the time has come to act on it.
Russia has a fleet of seven modern icebreakers that could render Churchill and the Siberian port of Murmansk serviceable throughout the year.
(Reported by the globe and mail. Cannot provide link as this was intra office media)
This would be quite something if this actually happened.
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