Newsroom
2000
September 7, 2000
CWB and Omnitrax sign Churchill handling agreement
Winnipeg -The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and OmniTRAX today
announced they have signed an agreement that will result in
increased use of the port of Churchill in the current crop
year.
"If all goes as planned, we will move more grain through the port
of Churchill than any year in the past decade," said Adrian
Measner, CWB Executive Vice-President of Marketing. "This is one
component of the new transportation environment that gives farmers
immediate results."
As part of the agreement, OmniTRAX will provide financial
incentives that reduce CWB costs and encourage additional
utilization of the port.
"Both sides were very keen on finding ways to improve the
profitability of the port," said Gary Rennick, Chief Operating
Officer of OmniTRAX. "I believe the investments we are making to
improve the port will benefit all users both this year and in the
future. In particular, our present dredging program will provide
the ability to service larger vessels in the port."
OmniTRAX is one of the largest, private operators of short line
railroads in North America. The company, based in Denver, owns and
operates thirteen short line railroads in seven states and three
Canadian provinces. OmniTRAX manages the Hudson Bay Railway to
Churchill and the port.
The CWB is the world's largest farmer-controlled wheat and barley
marketer. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it is one of
Canada's biggest exporters and the largest net earner of foreign
currency. Marketing Prairie-grown wheat and barley to over 70
countries around the world, the CWB returns all sales revenue, less
the costs of marketing, to farmers in Western Canada.