The Manitoba government has identified a chunk of land in northwest Winnipeg as the location of a proposed inland port for Manitoba.
The designation was made Wednesday under the CentrePort Canada Act, which also establishes a non-profit corporation to promote and administer the proposed port.
The plan is to use the airport and its geographic location in North America as a hub to import goods from Asia and Europe, then distribute those goods throughout the rest of Canada and parts of the United States by air, rail and truck.
The inland port designation also helps qualify the province and city for millions more in federal money to build new roads, rail lines and add new infrastructure like sewers and utilities around the airport.
Dave Angus, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, says this is the best economic opportunity for the province.
But critics say the plan is out of touch with economic and geographic reality.
