Prairies and Northern Region

The Prairie and Northern Region (PNR) covers diverse geography, including the Rocky Mountains, the Prairies, the Canadian Shield and the Arctic.

Transportation is a lifeline for northern and remote communities and enables socio-economic opportunities, yet transportation options remain limited. The Region engages with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous groups, and private sector stakeholders to address the broader issues affecting the North, such as healthy communities, socio-economic opportunities, climate change, and environmental protection and sustainability.

The Region is home to 8 National Airport System airports (Calgary, Edmonton, Iqaluit, Regina, Saskatoon, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, and Yellowknife). In addition, there are 215 certified aerodromes/airports in the region and 358 air operators. This network supports the transportation of people and goods, including significant air cargo movements to support northern re-supply. WestJet’s headquarters are in Calgary, and StandardAero, one of the world’s largest independent providers of aircraft turbine engine services, is headquartered in Winnipeg.

In the North, there are 145,000 kilometres of coastline in Transport Canada’s Prairie and Northern Region. There are 3 large ports located in the Region (Churchill, Manitoba, Iqaluit, Nunavut and Milne Inlet, Nunavut) with the Port of Churchill being the only rail-serviced deep-water port in North America that accesses the Arctic Ocean.

Within Prairie and Northern Region is Tallurutiup Imanga, which is the largest National Marine Conservation Area in Canada and represents approximately 1.9 percent of Canada’s marine area. It is a critical habitat for species such as the polar bear, bowhead whale, narwhal and beluga whale. It is also the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage and an area of increasing vessel traffic from natural resource projects, tourism, and re-supply activities. Tallurutiup Imanga is managed by a co-governance board, called the Aulattiqatigiit Board, consisting of equal membership between the Government of Canada, including Transport Canada, and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

The Region has 3 Class I railroads (Canadian National (CN), Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF)) and 2 passenger rail operators: VIA Rail that operates on 19,426 km of federally regulated track and Hudson Bay Railway that operates to the port of Churchill. PNR has 10,514 road/rail crossings as well as 25 short-line rail companies. CN’s training facility is located in Winnipeg and the CPKC’s headquarters are in Calgary. Both CN and CPKC have their Rail traffic control centers for the entire country in the Region (CN in Edmonton, CPKC in Calgary).

The region is responsible for enforcement of regulations and standards to support safety and security in air, marine, rail, and road transportation, and provides the environment for economic development, community connectivity, and resiliency. This work protects the well-being of operators and passengers as planes, trains, and ships function in a safe, secure, and timely manner. Additionally, the Region provides oversight of the transportation of dangerous goods cargo by air, marine and rail.

Shari Currie

Shari Currie

Regional Director General, Prairie and Northern Region

Bio

Regional Director General, Prairie and Northern Region: Shari Currie

Number of employees: 439

Offices: 11

  • Regional Headquarters are in Winnipeg, Manitoba 
  • 10 offices within the Region: 

    • Calgary, Alberta;

    • Calgary Airport, Alberta; 

    • Edmonton, Alberta; 

    • Edmonton Airport, Alberta; 

    • Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; 

    • Saskatoon Airport, Saskatchewan; 

    • Winnipeg Airport, Manitoba; 

    • Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; 

    • Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; and 

    • Iqaluit, Nunavut

Transport Canada (TC) Owned Asset: