Shoal Lake Cree Nation Chief Marcel Head joined Chiefs from across the country this week at the two-day All Chiefs Meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on the territory of the Algonquin Nation. (PAGC/Facebook)

By Susan McNeil

Port of Churchill

Northeast Sask. leaders look to be part of bigger business growth

Jul 17, 2025 | 1:04 PM

Two leaders from northeastern Saskatchewan say their communities are ready to be part of the business growth that will come with the expansion of the Port of Churchill and an increased focus on movement of goods within Canada.

Mayor Marlon Zacharias in Nipawin and Chief Marcel Head of Shoal Lake Cree Nation represent communities that lie along Hwy 55, which connects with Hwy 9 to The Pas in Manitoba and ultimately the Port of Churchill.

“In terms of the the business world, you know we’re developing a lot of plans to be part… of the Saskatchewan economy and being part of that economy, it all means a lot to our people,” said Head, speaking after a recent announcement of federal and provincial investment dollars into rural connectivity in northern Saskatchewan.

Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the northern Manitoba port, said a new critical mineral storage facility is now up and running. It also added more freight service to its Hudson Bay rail line that runs to port. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has said the expansion could fit with the federal government’s plan for nation-building infrastructure.

Lands rich in resources

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According to Head, when treaties were signed between Indigenous people and the Crown, it was always understood that resources and wealth were to be shared.

“Our people envision that economy was to be shared equally with our nations across Canada. So today, you know, that’s exactly what we’re going to go after and not be excluded into a reserve setting.”

The land that has been traditionally used by the members of Shoal Lake Cree Nation is rich in resources. Members have traplines there but also fish and hunt.

This map from Shoal Lake’s website shows the land used by trappers. Other maps show hunting and fishing usage. (website/Shoal Lake FN)

They also know there are a lot of minerals under the surface.

“We have a different approach with this and also with Bill C-5. To us it’s an opportunity to be allowed to have access equally to the resources within our traditional territory,” Head stated.

“And that’s the message that we give to both levels of government – that we’re taking back what is rightfully ours and that’s the land, the resources and exercising our property and jurisdiction.”

The government’s major projects law has ignited criticism because it allows for fast-tracked approvals. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the law is designed to connect and transform national economy in the face of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. At a news conference in Ontario on Wednesday, Carney said C-5 is not meant to take away Indigenous inclusion, but rather place Indigenous economic growth at the centre of it.

“The law, as it now is, is enabling legislation. The first thing that it enables is consultation,” said Carney. “That engagement about the modalities about how this could work, how we work together, what are the priorities – that’s before any consultation on any specific project.”

The regulatory structure will ensure big projects get “built in the right way” with adequate consultation of affected Indigenous communities, he said.

Almost 100 kilometres to the west of Shoal Lake, the Town of Nipawin is also eyeing news of expansion at the Port of Churchill with interest.

Resources close to the town include grain (there is a Bunge grain processing facility south of town) and further to the east, Carrot River has both peat moss and lumber.

Combines lined up in a field east of Nipawin during harvest season. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

Nipawin sits near the midpoint of the highway when it starts in Prince Albert and then meets up with Hwy 9 hundreds of kilometres away.

Various members of the town council have been part of the Gateway Keewatin Corridor group, which has long advocated for all of the highways to be upgraded to pavement so there are no restrictions to load limits for part of the year.

Zacharias said that Nipawin would see some immediate local benefit from the upgrading of the highway and expansion at the port can only be good for business.

“It’s going to allow lots of our local products here in Nipawin to reach global markets and a lot less time with a lot less hassle,” he said.

The continuously changing situation with Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods has driven home the need to diversify markets and goods away from the United States.

He said a port relatively nearby can help with that.

A transport ship in the Hudson Bay, waiting to dock at the Port of Churchill this spring. (Arctic Gateway Group)

“We’ve got our forestry industry all around us as well as the Ag side – you know, our cereal crops and things like that. We’re looking at the the port as our new access to the global market and that is definitely starting to be more of a conversation because of what’s happening between Canada and the U.S.,” Zacharias said.

Planning ahead

While Nipawin’s current economy is more focused on agriculture, there has been work in the past with diamond exploration, starting in the Fort à la Corne forest but including points further north along Hwy 55.

Hwy 106, also known as Hanson Lake Road, starts at Hwy 55 between Smeaton and Choiceland. Travelling northeast, it takes drivers to Creighton and passes by Jan Lake, where a pegmatite mine is located and also to McIlvenna Bay, a copper/zinc mine that also produces some gold.

The province of Saskatchewan announced upgrades to the highway east of the access highway to Carrot River in 2022, but that did not include pavement. Bridges and culverts were upgraded and the road was widened, making it more ready should paving ever proceed.

Zacharias said there are rumours of additional pipeline expansion into their area, but nothing that he could confirm as certain.

“There’s a couple of groups that have reached out and had some conversations with us. It’s fairly early, but they have to plan ahead for this port expansion and be ready so that when it happens, they’re ready.”

He has driven the highway recently and said that while the upgrades are nice, in order for commercial traffic to really use it properly, more needs to be done.

“I don’t believe that road is enough to handle the the amount of traffic that we’ll potentially be seeing on it in the coming years. As it is right now, they’re still running restricted weights and things like that, which is the biggest issue not being able to run full weights year round 12 months a year.”

Zacharias said the Gateway Keewatin Corridor group is seeing a renewed push and has some data to support their arguments.

A study they commissioned a couple years ago from Praxis Consulting on the economic potential of the route found that along with more efficient movement of goods and services, upgrades would add $7.2 billion to the GDP and result in $894 million in tax revenue to the two provinces in the next two decades.

The federal government would see $1.9 billion in tax revenue and 12,000 new direct and in-direct jobs would be created.

While the province has committed to improved infrastructure investments and recognizes the value of highways that connect Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Ministry of Highways has confirmed that upgrading the unpaved portion of Highway 55 is not part of their current capital plan.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social