The agreement is not a final transfer or sale, but it does signal a starting point to begin formal negotiations. The two sides are hoping to finalize a deal within 45 days. “Having visited many communities along the rail line, it became clear to me that the rail line served as a utility for these remote communities and that for the line and the assets to truly succeed, First Nation participation in ownership and management was essential,” said OmniTrax Canada president Merv Tweed in the release. Earlier this year, OmniTrax cut freight train service to Churchill from two trains per week to one and laid off much of its staff in Churchill.
Of the province s 155 new cases, 27 were located in the Northern Health Region. Another 26 recoveries were reported in the region and one case previously reported within the NHR was moved, keeping the region at 897 active cases. Districts with the highest case numbers remain the Shamattawa/York Factory/Tataskweyak/Split Lake district (282 active cases), the Island Lake district (234 active cases) and the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/Gods River/Gods Lake district (160 active cases, including 16 new cases Tuesday). There are 86 cases still active in The Pas/OCN/Kelsey, with another 62 cases active in the Thompson/Mystery Lake health district. All other districts have fewer than 20 cases, including the Pukatawagan/Mathias Colomb district, where five cases are active, and the Flin Flon/Snow Lake/Cranberry Portage/Sherridon district, which still has two active cases.