The Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway, has expanded its board of directors to include new leadership from First Nations and Inuit communities in northern Manitoba and Nunavut. The May 4, 2026, announcement adds Okimakan (Chief) Morris Beardy of the Fox Lake Cree Nation and David Kakuktinniq, President and CEO of Sakku Investments Corporation, to the organization’s leadership team.
These appointments bring the board to nine members, strengthening the governance of the company. The group is fully owned by OneNorth, a partnership of 41 Indigenous and Bayside communities. This structure gives the region direct control over the infrastructure that connects northern Manitoba to global markets through Canada’s only Arctic deepwater seaport serviced by rail and the rail line running to The Pas.
The board expansion follows a series of recent efforts to grow the role of the Port of Churchill as a major trade hub. In March 2026, the company signed a cooperation agreement with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International to develop a new trade corridor for goods such as critical minerals, energy, and agricultural products. Additionally, the group partnered with the shipping firm Fednav in February 2026 to look into the possibility of year-round shipping through the Hudson Bay.
The current board, led by Chair and Churchill Mayor Mike Spence, also includes Ovide Mercredi, who joined in January 2026, along with Chief Michael Constant, Cal Huntley, Chief Betsy Kennedy, Gary Rennick, and Paul Rivett.
