“To be disrespected this way is ridiculous," Dumas said. "I'm absolutely frustrated because we've done the hard work."
The port's owner, U.S.-based Omnitrax Rail, has
signed a memorandum of understanding with a First Nations consortium
called Missinippi Rail LP to transfer the assets for $20 million.
The agreement would see Omnitrax finance the
purchase through a loan to Missinippi.
Omnitrax announced in July 2016 that the port
was closing and reduced the number of rail shipments down the rail
line. A flood this spring that locals describe as perhaps the worst
in a hundred years has left more than a kilometre of the line
underwater and deepened concerns about supplying several northern
communities, including Churchill.
Merv Tweed, the president of Omnitrax Canada,
said the company is happy that the MOU has been signed but the
flooding in the region is their primary concern right now.
"Our team's focus has been on the floods in the
north.… It's been a catastrophe," Tweed told CBC News.
A deal with a purchase price to buy the line
and the port was signed on May 31 by Omnitrax CEO Kevin Shuba and
Arlen Dumas, the chief of the Mathias Colomb First Nation.
Missinippi has been negotiating with Omnitrax for months.
"Lo and behold, when we actually come to an agreement and sign
on the bottom line, those very same people who have been speaking to
us about the most important relationship in the country are very
quick to kick us to the curb," Dumas told CBC News in an exclusive
interview.
The rail line and Port of Churchill issue has
been managed through the office of federal Economic Development
Minister Navdeep Bains.
Bains was not available for an interview, but
Ottawa has some specific requirements for any plan it might back.
A spokesperson for the minister wrote in an
email that the federal government is closely monitoring the current
flood situation throughout the region and is engaged on a weekly
basis in finding an ownership solution for the port and rail line.
Dumas said he is also waiting for a signal of
support from the Province of Manitoba, which he said has been silent
recently. He says both levels of government should be at the table
but with a deal where Omnitrax will finance the purchase, Missinippi
will "go it alone" if need be.
"We recognize the importance of this asset to
Northern Manitoba's economic development, but it would be
inappropriate for the province to speculate on the nature of private
commercial negotiations between third parties," said a spokesperson
for Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen.
"We encourage all parties to pursue a
resolution that is in the best interests of the economy and the
people who call this region their home."
Dumas said Missinippi Rail is made up of
approximately 15 communities across northern Manitoba but the offer
to be a part of the consortium is open to every First Nation in the
region.
"As far as I'm concerned, every MKO [Manitoba
Keewatinowi Okimakanak] community is a partner," Dumas said.
The Missinippi Rail consortium may have a
signed MOU but a second group has been quietly working behind the
scenes on its own deal.
One North was formed earlier this year,
representing communities and First Nations along the rail line.
Chief Christian Sinclair of the Opaskwayak Cree
Nation and Mike Spence, the mayor of Churchill, have led the second
set of stakeholders looking for a solution.
Sinclair isn't sure the Missinippi group has
the support Dumas is promising. In fact, Sinclair said some of the
communities have rescinded their backing.
"Show us your list, Arlen," Sinclair said to
CBC News.
"We [One North] not only have regional support
[from First Nations communities] but support from municipalities and
communities up to the Kiviliq region of Nunavut," Sinclair said.
Sinclair said his group has a strong team that
includes technical, business and legal expertise and support from
"everyone along the rail line."
When asked to comment on the MOU signed with
Omnitrax, Sinclair said, "If that's the business they are doing — so
be it."
Sinclair said One North is financing a business
plan "that will stand for the next 150 years" and takes into account
the potential economic development possibilities that may result
from climate change and longer seasons at the Port of Churchill.
SOURCE CBC
