Shipping company says Labrador is a lucrative gateway to the North

The head of a Labrador shipping company says he wants the provincial government to view Labrador as a gateway to the North, where there are many opportunities for sustainable development — and he's sharing that message with businesses.

Peter Woodward of the Woodward Group was in St. John's on Friday for Opportunities North 2016, a conference that aims to bring business opportunities and partnerships to Labrador. 

• Ferry service between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Iqaluit on the horizon

While there, Woodward told CBC News his company is looking for a lobby group that believes in bringing accessible infrastructure to the North. 

"I don't think we're looking for any money from government other than infrastructure," he said.

"That's what government should be doing, just like they build roads they should be building ports that give access and a better way of life for people."

A deep sea port is set to be built in Iqaluit by 2020, and Woodward wants to see a ferry service established between the Nunavut capital and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. 

"You could create a weekly service to Iqaluit that would greatly enhance the ability to live in the North, in Iqaluit, in Baffin Island," he said. 

"It will lower the cost of goods. It'll make access much easier, it'll make construction much easier. It will also bring a transportation mode that will help with development in the North and, as such, it will also help with the province of Newfoundland and Labrador when it comes to opportunities."

Woodward said a priority is ensuring that the Iqaluit port is conducive to "ro-ro traffic" — a term used to describe roll-on, roll-off vessels — out of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.