Other Manitoba and Saskatchewan Developments

[bomberjet]

I guess between Calgary and Winnipeg needs to be defined. Flin Flon isn't really between the two! But you're right.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I guess between Calgary and Winnipeg needs to be defined. Flin Flon isn't really between the two! But you're right.

In terms of longitude it is, but then so is Easter Island and I guess most people wouldn't typically consider that to be a place between Winnipeg and Calgary

[Authentic_City]

Wow, that is an apocalyptic photo of Fliln Flon.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Wow, that is an apocalyptic photo of Fliln Flon.

yea thats from the sw prolly shot from sask side of the boarder or right at the edge of it

used to be allot of acid rain around there

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by esquire

In terms of longitude it is, but then so is Easter Island and I guess most people wouldn't typically consider that to be a place between Winnipeg and Calgary

It's between Wpg and Yellowknife.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

also tallest structure between winnipeg and calgary is wrong flin flon holds that with its smoke stack around 1000 feet if i recall

Straight line between Calgary and Winnipeg doesn't travel through too many towns if any at all. Willing to bet the tallest structure would be a farmers outhouse....

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Dalreg

Straight line between Calgary and Winnipeg doesn't travel through too many towns if any at all. Willing to bet the tallest structure would be a farmers outhouse....

Haha no would be a radio tower

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by Dalreg

Straight line between Calgary and Winnipeg doesn't travel through too many towns if any at all. Willing to bet the tallest structure would be a farmers outhouse....

Originally Posted by 1ajs

Haha no would be a radio tower

I'll go with Hill Tower 3 (Mosaic Tower) in Regina. Uncanny how Regina is pretty much right on the straight line between Calgary and Winnipeg. At least on Google Maps.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by Crisis

I'll go with Hill Tower 3 (Mosaic Tower) in Regina. Uncanny how Regina is pretty much right on the straight line between Calgary and Winnipeg. At least on Google Maps.

My line went north of Regina more along the line of Lumsden. Guess you drew a fatter line.

[bomberjet]

The whole between Winnipeg and Calgary thing, or even between Toronto and Calgary, is ridiculous. Fortress is trumpeting that, between Toronto and Calgary, — what about Minneapolis, maybe even Chicago if we're stretching things that far.

[esquire]

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-rail-port-omnitrax-dumas-1.4143982

Apparently a deal has been struck to sell the Omnitrax-owned Hudson Bay Railway from The Pas to Churchill along with the Port of Churchill to the Missinippi Rail consortium of First Nations for $20 million.

I wish them all the best, but with the massive amounts of money needed to maintain and operate such a huge railway it sounds like a very shaky proposition. I know that Mathias Colomb Cree Nation has experience running a railway with Keewatin Railway up to Lynn Lake, but the HBR is a far larger and more capital-intensive enterprise. I hope it works out but I doubt it will.

[bomberjet]

Until there is a strong, long term plan for the north, the railway and port are going to have a hard go. I really don't think anything substantial will happen without federal leadership.

What is the plan for the north as a whole. The world is getting ready to invade the north. We need to be ahead of this game. The first step, permanent roads into the north along Hudson Bay, then a road east top Yellowknife. This is the future. The railway simply won't grow without the road. Kind of counter intuitive. But I don't really see anything else. There's just not enough going on up there.

This would open up both tourism and general business. I bet most of us would take a drive up to Churchill at some point in our lives. Likely more than once. How may go by train? Likely not many of us.

Even if the railway was somehow upgraded to be super reliable and increase speeds, which will cost many, many millions, you need product to ship on those rails.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I really don't think anything substantial will happen without federal leadership.

That's the kicker... a few First Nations simply won't have the means to invest the hundreds of millions of dollars that will ultimately be necessary to bring the line and the port up to snuff. If anything happens with this, it's going to be because the feds willed it and put their money into it.

Since this is a matter of national interest (having a functional arctic seaport), why wouldn't the federal government step up and take it over again? If the feds are going to kick in a pile of money, they might as well assume ownership.

[drew]

Originally Posted by esquire

That's the kicker... a few First Nations simply won't have the means to invest the hundreds of millions of dollars that will ultimately be necessary to bring the line and the port up to snuff. If anything happens with this, it's going to be because the feds willed it and put their money into it.

Since this is a matter of national interest (having a functional arctic seaport), why wouldn't the federal government step up and take it over again? If the feds are going to kick in a pile of money, they might as well assume ownership.

Yeah - this port and the railway need to be nationalized. They are critical infrastructure that should not be left up to private business.

If we are being honest, all this will do is delay the input of federal dollars until such time as the track breaks, or a train derails, or some other issue happens where Missinippi has the leverage to say "without a bail out we cannot service Churchill".

[bomberjet]

My thoughts exactly. I get northern Manitoba is not at the top of the list when it comes to federal politics. But for the long term health of the country, it needs to be. When powers like Russia, US and China are all looking that way, the country needs to defend its lands and rights.

Having a strong presence for the military is step one. Arctic port is a part of that. Making it easily accessible by road is first.

[drew]

It would be a huge mistake to let the rail way go into disrepair.

Sure the maintenance seems high - but imagine the current construction costs that would be required to build a new railway to Churchill from scratch?

It's basically a piece of infrastructure that has to be maintained - because once it's gone, it isn't coming back.

[esquire]

I guess Missinippi's involvement assures that the railway will at least remain usable. I would think their investment is partly motivated by a desire to see freight and passenger railway service continue to the communities in the region, along the lines of what Keewatin Railway Company is doing on the ex-CN line from Cranberry Portage to Lynn Lake.

Who knows about the port, though... the grain terminal there is old and probably in need of some serious upgrades. I'm not sure about the rest of the facilities. That's probably quite a big question mark.

[bomberjet]

One of the issues that needs to be resolved is permafrost and how to keep it permafrost. If there is a need to install insulation or otherwise below the track, its almost a new rebuild at that point.. Biggest problem they have is stability, which factors into speed and safety.

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

One of the issues that needs to be resolved is permafrost and how to keep it permafrost. If there is a need to install insulation or otherwise below the track, its almost a new rebuild at that point.. Biggest problem they have is stability, which factors into speed and safety.

This is going to be a major problem moving forward. I read an article about the changes in the north this past weekend and one guy was talking about a bridge that dropped 10 FEET as a result of the melting permafrost! Big problems coming for the north.

[The Bess]

some potash mine projects

http://www.mining.com/potash-junior-teams-indian-conglomerate-build-new-mine-saskatchewan/

http://www.mining.com/another-potash-mine-coming-soon-to-canadas-saskatchewan/

http://www.mining.com/bhp-likely-to-open-jansen-potash-mine-in-canada-by-2023/