Saskatchewan-based fertilizer company wants to import ingredients through Port of Churchill

Manitoba's northern port has a new out-of-province partner as trade uncertainties with the United States linger.

Saskatchewan-based Genesis Fertilizers is partnering with Arctic Gateway Group, the consortium of dozens of First Nations and Hudson Bay communities that owns and operates the Port of Churchill, leaders from both groups announced at a news conference Friday.

Arctic Gateway and Genesis will look for international partners to source and import ingredients for nitrogen fertilizer, such as phosphate and ammonium sulphate, which are currently imported into Canada via the United States, a news release said.

Jason Mann, CEO of Genesis, says tariff threats from the United States have been a "wake-up call" for Canadians, and everyone is looking for solutions.

"We would have tried to do something with Churchill regardless of tariffs, because it just makes sense, but now it makes [even] more sense," he said at the news conference.

"Churchill is critical infrastructure, and we need to use that port more, and we need to support it."

Genesis's nitrogen plant plans to produce one million tonnes of fertilizer a year, which will require about 300,000 tonnes of phosphate, Mann said.

"This is Canadian farmers trying to empower themselves to control their supply of fertilizer," he said.

"We're in a global market, and we need to think globally."

It's still too early to say how many shipments will be made through the partnership, he said. 

The port's short operational window in the summer also presents a challenge, but Mann believes Canada should be "an export powerhouse" of fertilizer.

"Why can't we produce nitrogen fertilizer in Western Canada and send it out through Churchill to Europe?"

The news comes just days after Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he extended an invitation to Canada's other premiers to use Churchill's upcoming shipping season this summer to reach more international markets.

Earlier this week, Arctic Gateway said it's working with HudBay Minerals to ship double the amount of critical minerals from the port it did last year.

Chris Avery, Arctic Gateway's CEO, says more critical mineral storage facilities could be built in Churchill and other parts of northern Manitoba, such as Thompson, to hold phosphate and other materials for Genesis year-round.

The port and Hudson Bay Railway will allow Genesis to import products from other countries without having to go through the United States, he said.

"The geopolitical situation in Canada makes this far more interesting and far more topical."