The Spirit of Winnipeg
CentrePort Canada is a 20,000-acre inland port project with lands located in the Rural Municipality of Rosser and the City of Winnipeg. Development is booming at CentrePort, particularly within the 11,000 acres of CentrePort Canada that lie in the RM of Rosser; these lands are known as CentrePort North.
Since 2019, there have been $275 million of development permits issued within the RM of Rosser for projects in CentrePort Canada.
Frances Smee, Reeve of the RM of Rosser, says the reason for the boom is simple. “We offer a competitive advantage. We do things faster and better.”
Strong relationships are a key factor in the RM of Rosser’s ability to stay nimble and flexible throughout the development process. By working closely with the Inland Port Special Planning Authority, a dedicated planning resource for CentrePort North, and the South Interlake Planning District, the RM of Rosser is able to make turnaround times attractive to developers and provide a customized approach to development. “We create relationships that would not be possible in larger bureaucracies,” says Smee.
Since the inland port’s inception in 2009, the collaborative relationship between CentrePort Canada and the RM of Rosser has been instrumental in driving forward a larger vision for industrial development in the area. “In the beginning, we knew getting involved was an opportunity that doesn’t come along every day,” says Smee. “We committed then, and because our developers believed in us, we were able to fast track the infrastructure build-out.”
This commitment to a purposeful infrastructure build-out and a development-friendly approach has been key to laying the foundation for the flurry of construction activity we are seeing today; development is booming.
In addition to the RM of Rosser’s commitment to collaborative decision making and speed of delivery, benefits to locating in the area include access to trimodal transportation options, available industrial land and existing infrastructure that supports future growth. Fully-serviced industrial land, access to the inland port express way, CentrePort Canada Way, and proximity to the 24/7/365 operations of the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport allow companies in the transportation, distribution and manufacturing industries to thrive.
Since the inland port’s inception, 100 new companies have chosen to locate in CentrePort joining long established businesses in the area. Over the last three years alone, the RM of Rosser has welcomed 30 companies to four new industrial parks: Brookside Industrial Park West, BrookPort Business Park, InksPort Business Park and Steele Business Park.
Customizable development options are giving companies the ability to grow and expand, or establish new operations. Companies that have chosen to custom build facilities to meet their growing business needs include Merit Functional Foods, Nutrien, Major Drilling, Rosenau Transport and Groupe Touchette. Freightliner Manitoba, long-established in the area, was able to expand its operations onto a 14-acre footprint to develop its Transolutions Truck Centre brand. Designed with customers and employees in mind, their new spacious facility offers a state-of-the-art showroom, expansive new-parts warehouse, and world-class service station.
This pace of development shows no signs of slowing down. If you were to drive through CentrePort lands in the RM of Rosser today, you would see active construction sites, numerous signs with lots for sale and new industrial parks taking shape. Additionally, the CentrePort Canada Rail Park is expected to break ground in Spring 2022. This 665-acre rail served industrial park is the linchpin in realizing the vision for a true trimodal inland port and will combine industrial space with logistics infrastructure, making it a prime location for companies servicing regional and global clients.
The evidence is clear. The RM of Rosser’s long-term vision, collaborative approach and ability to quickly respond to company needs sets them apart and is paving the way for significant growth in the municipality.
“In Rosser, we believe that strong relationships are vital to success,” says Smee. “We operate from a basic principle of fairness to create win/win/win situations for developers, our community and Manitoba. We really are open for business.”
Diane Gray is the President & CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc.