“I’m excited to be able to announce the construction of our second elevator in Colonsay so fast on the heels of our Bloom elevator announcement,” said CWB President and Chief Executive Officer Ian White. “We see significant opportunity in the Colonsay area for a fast and efficient grain-handling facility that will provide the customer service that farmers have come to expect from CWB. CWB’s growing network of modern grain-handling facilities across the Prairies will provide farmers with more choice out in the country during a critical time in the ongoing transformation of the grain industry.”
Elevator construction has already begun one mile southeast of the town of Colonsay, adjacent to the CP line. The elevator will feature a car-loading rate of up to 1,600 tph with a 134-car loop track. The facility will also include a 17,300-tonne workhouse with cleaning facilities and 24,700 tonnes of steel storage capacity.
With the announcement of the Colonsay elevator, CWB’s overall asset network now includes elevators in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Mission Terminal in Ontario and Les Élévateurs des Trois-Rivières in Quebec. In addition, CWB’s two Equinox class laker vessels are scheduled to be operating in the St. Lawrence in 2015.
"It won't be long before farmers driving down the highway will be able to physically see the equity that is being built in CWB. CWB’s farmer ownership plan is designed to give farmers a stake in their value chain after privatization simply by delivering against our contracts" said White. "We have been tracking deliveries for all our farmer-customers since the 2013 harvest. As we continue to grow, the benefits to farmers will grow with us."