September 19, 2008
BUSINESS INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT INLAND PORT DEVELOPMENT
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and Province of Manitoba today announced $80,000 for a private sector-led initiative to identify and attract new business investment to Manitoba’s inland port.
The goal of the chamber’s new Business Call program will be to seek out and act on the expertise of local CEOs who work in organizations or are connected to industries most likely to be interested in locating to the province’s inland port, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Dave Angus and Competitiveness, Training and Trade Minister Andrew Swan said today.
“We have looked at the best way to market ourselves to the world and the answer is to start by using the resources we have here at home,” said Angus. “The intelligence and expertise of our local business community spans the globe and cuts across all sectors. Business Call will tap into this knowledge to help focus our efforts to build our inland port.”
Business Call will connect with Manitoba business leaders to identify and pursue viable prospects for new investment, business relocation and business expansion, both on a local and international level. It will also gather industry information that will help inform future decisions. The program is receiving $50,000 from the province and $30,000 from the chamber.
“Building Manitoba’s inland port is a vision we share with our business community and we are supporting it on various fronts,” Swan said. “Developing our inland port has the potential to grow Manitoba’s economy by taking better advantage of strong transportation assets and our strategic, central location.”
Last week, the province introduced legislation creating CentrePort Canada Inc., a private-sector focused corporation that will develop and promote Manitoba’s inland port. The proposed act designates 20,000 acres of land around James Armstrong Richardson International Airport for the inland port to serve as a transportation, trade, manufacturing, distribution, warehousing and logistics centre.
These are the types of companies Business Call will work to attract, Angus said.
“As the dynamics of the supply chain change, as energy costs continue to rise, businesses are
reassessing their locations. This unique, inland port zone gives companies a reason to look at Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a viable location,” he said. “We have strategic advantages to offer companies who are pursuing entry into or increased presence in the North American market.”
reassessing their locations. This unique, inland port zone gives companies a reason to look at Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a viable location,” he said. “We have strategic advantages to offer companies who are pursuing entry into or increased presence in the North American market.”
Manitoba’s inland port advantages include:
· The James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, which is undergoing further expansion, operates unrestricted 24 hours a day and is first in Canada in the number of dedicated cargo freighters operating through it.
· The border crossing south of Winnipeg at Emerson is the top-ranked border crossing on the prairies, processing $14.4 billion in trade traffic annually. This key trade route to the United States and Mexico is being upgraded with $85 million in federal-provincial funding for PTH 75.
· Winnipeg is the only location between the west coast and central Ontario where the key lines of Canada’s two major railways, CN and CPR, intersect. Both railways maintain extensive intermodal yards in Winnipeg. CN, CPR and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad provide direct access to southern markets.
· Manitoba has the only deep-sea port in mid-Canada, the port of Churchill, located at the northern tip of the mid-continent trade corridor, which runs south to the U.S. and Mexico. Manitoba is also linked to the Asia Pacific Gateway via Prince Rupert to the west and through Thunder Bay to the east.
· The province has introduced legislation to allow tax increment financing to be used to support development of the inland port.
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