The Manitoba government says it will spend up to $40 million toward the expansion of North America’s largest tri-modal inland port.
Premier Heather Stefanson committed funding that would go toward water and sewer service infrastructure for CentrePort’s expansion in Winnipeg.
The port provides access to rail, truck and air cargo operations at a site in the Rural Municipality of Rosser and in Winnipeg.
The company has estimated $60 million is needed for the infrastructure upgrades.
The City of Winnipeg has previously committed $20 million as part of its 2022 budget on the condition that the provincial and federal governments contribute at least $20 million each as well.
Stefanson says the province is prepared to cover up to two-thirds of the cost of the project but is calling on the federal government to cover a portion.
“Our government is pleased to provide certainty to the City of Winnipeg on this strategic infrastructure priority while continuing to call on the federal government to signal its own $20-million cost-matching intentions,” she said.
Building permits for nearly $60-million in construction to support CentrePort have been issued in Rosser this year, and construction is underway.
Diane Gray, president and CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc., says once the project is completed it will create more jobs and add to Manitoba’s economy by more than $950 million.
“Servicing these lands is an incredible step forward in furthering the development of the tri-modal inland port project,” she said in a release.
The 8,000-hectare site is situated at the junction of multiple transportation corridors.