February 19–20, 2026 — Winnipeg, MB

Northern Transportation Conference 2026

Canada's North is changing fast. The infrastructure, policies, and partnerships built today will shape the next century.

Watch Sessions Next Event → Learn More
When
Feb 19–20, 2026
Thursday & Friday
Where
St. John's College
University of Manitoba
City
Winnipeg
Manitoba, Canada
20+

Speakers

National leaders in northern infrastructure, Arctic policy, Indigenous governance, and critical minerals

4

Thematic Tracks

Infrastructure, Security, Resources, and Access & Emerging Technologies

2

Full Days

Panels, keynotes, networking, and strategic discussions on Canada's northern future

Conference Tracks

Four Areas of Focus

Four tracks. Each one addresses a defining pressure point for Canada's northern future.

01
Track 01

Infrastructure &
Maritime Development

  • James BondDavie Shipyard, Icebreaker Centre
  • Chris AveryArctic Gateway Group
  • Carlos CastilloPerimeter Aviation
  • Andrew GrantCalm Air
02
Track 02

Security, Sovereignty
& Policy

  • Dr. Andrea CharronCentre for Defence and Security Studies
  • Cdr. Norm NormandRoyal Canadian Navy
  • Hon. Dr. Lloyd AxworthyFormer Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Hon. Rebecca ChartrandMinister of Northern & Arctic Affairs
03
Track 03

Resources, Environment
& Innovation

  • Papa-Masseck ThiamFPInnovations
  • Todd BurnsCypher Environmental
  • Dr. Alex CrawfordCentre for Earth Observation Science
  • Dan KuenstlerDillon Consulting
04
Track 04

Access, Mobility &
Emerging Technologies

  • Daniel BlizzardD. Blizzard Integrated Services
  • Ross PrenticeBuoyant Aircraft Systems Intl.
  • Renee GreyeyesManitoba Prospectors & Developers
  • Yousif JabakDigital Delivery & BIM
Canadian northern landscape — mountains, river and forest
YWG
Winnipeg, MB
About the Conference

A Defining Moment for Canada's North

Canada's North is under pressure from multiple directions at once. Melting permafrost is destabilizing roads, runways, and buildings. Shorter ice road seasons are cutting off communities. And as Arctic waters open, the geopolitical stakes are rising fast.

The Northern Transportation Conference brings together federal and provincial leaders, Indigenous Nations, industry operators, and researchers to confront these pressures directly and build practical paths forward.

Northern transportation is not just infrastructure — it is sovereignty, security, and the backbone of Canada's next economy.
📍

Hosted in Winnipeg

St. John's College, University of Manitoba — 92 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M5

Featured Voices of the North

Potential Speakers

Hover a card to read the full bio and access the session recording when available.

Canada's North

Challenges,
Opportunities &
the New Global Reality

Canada's North is warming at nearly four times the global average. Seasons that were once predictable are now erratic. Thaw is arriving earlier. Infrastructure built for a colder climate is failing under conditions it was never designed to handle.

4×

The rate at which Canada's North is warming compared to the global average — with consequences arriving faster than policy can follow.

01

Ice Roads Under Pressure

Ice roads which many northern communities rely on for food, fuel, and construction materials now open later and close earlier — in some cases becoming unusable within the same season. Shorter seasons are creating real supply chain crises.

02

Permafrost Degradation

Permafrost degradation is undermining highways, runways, pipelines, and buildings across the North, leading to costly emergency repairs, reduced community access, and long-term infrastructure failure if not addressed.

03

Arctic Navigation Opening

As sea ice retreats, Arctic shipping corridors through Canadian waters are becoming viable year-round. The economic and geopolitical interest is intensifying fast — from trade routes to military presence, the North is no longer remote.

04

Wildfire & Climate Disruption

Wildfire seasons are longer and more severe, disrupting transportation routes and creating unpredictable hazards for northern communities and operations. Supply chains that already operate on thin margins face new systemic risk.

05

Defence & Arctic Sovereignty

Canada's Arctic is no longer a remote backwater. As Dr. Andrea Charron and Commander Norm Normand outlined at the conference, the Arctic Ocean is now an avenue of strategic pressure. NORAD modernization, contested supply routes, and foreign military activity demand a coordinated national infrastructure and defence response.

Why Attend

The North
Can't Wait.
Neither Can You.

Northern transportation decisions made in the next five years will shape sovereignty, supply chains, and community access for decades. This conference is where those conversations happen.

4

Reasons to be in the room when Canada's northern future gets decided.

Hear From Leading Experts

Hear directly from ministers, engineers, Indigenous leaders, researchers, and operators working at the front lines of northern infrastructure and Arctic policy.

Understand Real-World Challenges

Get into the specifics: permafrost failure, shrinking ice road seasons, contested Arctic shipping corridors, and what is actually being done about them.

Take Part in Strategic Discussions

Sit at the table with federal officials, industry strategists, and community representatives working through the real decisions that will define northern access.

Build Powerful Human Connections

Connect with the people who are actually building, funding, and governing northern Canada. These are not panel discussions — they are working relationships.

Conference Agenda

Two Days,One DefiningConversation

Robert B. Shultz Theatre, University of Manitoba — February 19–20, 2026. All times local (CST).

The full agenda, across two intensive days of keynotes, panels, and networking. Subject to change.

Download Full Agenda
  • 8:00
    Registration & Networking Breakfast
  • 9:00
    Opening Remarks & Welcome
    Dr. Barry E. Prentice, Chair — Transport Institute
    Elder Norman Meade, Indigenous Student Centre
    Dr. Bruno Silvestre, Dean, Asper School of Business
  • 9:15
    Why Northern Infrastructure Matters Now More Than Ever
    Keynote: Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy
    Dr. Barry E. Prentice — Transport & Opportunities in the North
  • 10:30
    Health Break & Networking
  • 11:00
    Building & Maintaining Roads and Railways in Remote Northern Regions
    Chair: Godwin Effiong, Red River College
    Daniel Blizzard — Engineered Access over Critical Terrains
    Todd Burns — Sustainable Solutions for Gravel Roads & Airstrips
    Dan Kuenstler — Engineering & Sovereignty in the Ring of Fire
  • 12:30
    Networking Lunch
  • 2:00
    Logistics and Sovereignty in the North
    Chair: Dr. Narendra Malalgoda, Transport Institute
    Dr. Andrea Charron — The Arctic Ocean as Avenue of Attack
    Cdr. Norm Normand — Logistics in a Contested Arctic Region
  • 3:00
    Health Break & Networking
  • 3:30
    Marine Corridors and Northern Supply Chains
    Chair: Dr. Paul Larson, CN Chair, Transport Institute
    James Bond — Changing Ice Regimes & Shipping Opportunities
    Chris Avery — Churchill: Canada's Newest National Port
  • 5:00
    Summary of Key Insights
  • 8:00
    Registration & Networking Breakfast
  • 9:00
    Opening Remarks — Introduction to Day 2
    Dr. Barry E. Prentice, Director, Transport Institute
  • 9:10
    Air Transport Now and the Future of the North
    Chair: Pierre Gautreau, Transport Institute
    Carlos Castillo, VP Perimeter Air — Andrew Grant, VP Calm Air
    Scott Woodward, VP Custom Helicopters
    Ross Prentice — Cargo Airships & Critical Minerals Transport
  • 10:30
    Health Break & Networking
  • 11:00
    Indigenous Leadership in Infrastructure Partnerships
    Chair: Dr. Angie Bruce, VP Indigenous
    Robyn Lore — NeeStaNan Indigenous Transportation Corridor
    Ryan McEachern — Mining Ecosystem & Indigenous Partnerships
    Renee Greyeyes — From Consultation to Co-Design
  • 12:30
    Networking Lunch
  • 1:30
    Research Needs for Canada's North
    Chair: Dr. Barry E. Prentice
    Dr. Alex Crawford — Changing Sea Ice in Hudson Bay
    Papa-Masseck Thiam — Adapting Road Infrastructure to Climate Change
    Yousif Jabak — Digital Delivery, BIM & Data-Driven Infrastructure
  • 2:30
    Health Break & Networking
  • 3:00
    Aligning Public, Industry and Indigenous Priorities
    Hon. Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern & Arctic Affairs
  • 4:00
    Closing Remarks
Coming Soon — 2026

Northern TransportWebinar 2026

Following the February 2026 conference, we are bringing the conversation online. A focused session with speakers and attendees from across Canada on what comes next for northern infrastructure and policy.

📅 Date TBD — 2026
🌎 Online — Canada-Wide
👤 Open Registration
Register Your Interest → Already attended? Watch the 2026 Conference Sessions
Northern Transportation Conference 2026
“The North is not a remote afterthought. It is Canada’s strategic frontier — for resources, for defence, and for the communities that have called it home for generations.”
A defining moment for Canada’s North
🎥Session Recordings

Watch the
2026 Sessions

All presentations from the February 19–20 conference are being made available on demand. Keynotes, panels, and expert discussions on Canada’s northern future.

20+
Speakers across infrastructure, sovereignty, resources, and emerging technology
Browse All Sessions →
Next Event — 2026

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Next Event Details

Northern Transportation Conference — 2026

📅
When
2026Date to be announced
📍
Where
Winnipeg, ManitobaVenue to be confirmed
🌐
Format
In-Person & OnlineCanada-wide attendance
📞

Sponsored By

D. Blizzard Asper School of Business Transport Institute MSTA Canada The Free Press Government of Manitoba