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Dec 9, 2025
Maritime think tank promoting second Hudson Bay port
Winnipeg Free Press
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A Maritime security think tank is promoting a second port along the Hudson Bay, calling it a relief valve as Port of Churchill operations ramp up.
The proposed NeeStaNan project -- roughly 15 hours by boat from the Port of Churchill -- has gained support from the National Centre of Excellence and Innovation in Maritime Security.
"The hardest point, I think, that people need to get their head around is that shift in culture away from the competitive to the cooperative," said Allan McDougall, who wrote a discussion paper titled "The Case for NeeStaNan" on behalf of the centre.
McDougall has written books on transportation systems and formerly held management roles with the feds, including as Transport Canada's senior inspector for ports.
He and a group of academics and past federal management formed the think tank last year. They felt maritime security lacked a holistic view, McDougall said.
He watched the Port of Churchill gain national attention as Canada sought nation-building projects. It's touted as a gateway to Europe and is the country's only rail-accessible deep-water Arctic port.
"The hardest point, I think, that people need to get their head around is that shift in culture away from the competitive to the cooperative."
"I am not saying that Churchill is a bad idea," McDougall said. "Churchill is a very isolated port."
He began searching for alternate ports nearby, should something go awry at the cold-water terminal. The Port of Vancouver can divert to the Port of Prince Rupert, McDougall noted.
He found NeeStaNan Utility Corridor. A group of Indigenous leaders aim to ship exports such as liquified natural gas, potash and containers through Port Nelson, a few hundred kilometres south of Churchill. The site is currently a ghost town.
The former Progressive Conservative government committed $6.7 million for a feasibility study of Port Nelson, contingent on funding f
