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Inland port a huge step for Winnipeg's future, expert says

Updated: September 23 at 05:53 PM CDT | Winnipeg Free Press

A thriving inland port would be a boon to the Winnipeg economy but it’s going to take more than the presence of air, train and trucking facilities to make it a reality, an expert in economic integration warns.

Dr. Stephen Blank, co-chair of the North American Transportation Competitiveness Research Council, told a University of Manitoba audience today that successful inland ports have, above all else, innovative, client-focused business plans.

“People spend a lot of time polishing the physical assets. (They have) an ‘if you build it, they will come’ attitude. You need entrepreneurial imagination. We can build it but how do we persuade people to use it? The most important element of business is the consumer. Who’s going to use your stuff?,” he said.

He said businesses of all sizes need to be convinced that they should move their freight through Winnipeg, especially if one or more value-added processes can be performed on it.

Once that’s accomplished and the inland port is established, a variety of other business clusters will follow, such as servicing vehicles, freight forwarding and financing.