In Support of an Ecologically & Economically Sound Future
Churchill, Manitoba
Across Canada’s north, communities are facing a critical juncture. As they navigate a new reality, economic resilience is vital and development is inevitable. Done right, such development can provide a model for innovative, conservation-minded projects across the circumpolar north.
Churchill, Manitoba, holds a special place not just in the Canadian imagination, but in the hearts of people around the world. It’s filled with natural wonders: northern lights, beluga whales, tundra wildflowers, and above all, the incredible annual migration of polar bears.
Development in and around Churchill does not have to threaten polar bears and the other wildlife that make the region globally renowned. Instead, this investment could be a unique opportunity for Manitoba to model how economic adaptability and environmental conservation can complement each other. To get there, federal, provincial and local decision-makers must champion a new approach, one that supports the unique needs of this community and prioritizes innovation, scientific understanding and local engagement.
We respectfully ask the region’s decision-makers for the following:
- Show Canadian Arctic leadership through innovative waste management solutions addressing a key issue across the North. Support the town of Churchill as a pilot community, both logistically and financially, in developing long-term waste management solutions that are scalable and transferable—which will help to keep both people and polar bears safe while benefitting development opportunities.
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Support the completion of the feasibility assessment for the National Marine Conservation Area with meaningful consultation as development moves forward.
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Engage scientists and local knowledge holders to understand how an increase in shipping may affect polar bears, beluga whales, and other species across the region.
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Support and coordinate wildlife research in the broader Hudson Bay area so we can understand how populations are faring and make sound conservation decisions. Long term studies that cross Provincial and territorial boundaries are key to detecting and understanding changes.
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Work in true consultation and partnership with Indigenous and northern communities. Increased shipping in Hudson Bay will have impacts far beyond Churchill, affecting coastal communities in Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Engage the local tourism community as changes to Churchill’s infrastructure move forward to understand the unique natural features that bring people here from all over the world and how best to preserve those features while building a vibrant community and economy.
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Support the drafting and implementation of a robust polar bear management plan for Manitoba, and leverage the unique knowledge of the Churchill Bear Smart Working Group through early consultation.
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Prioritize funding for polar bear work, and build capacity for marine research in Manitoba that could support conservation needs in the long-term. For example, consider moving the regional biologist position to Winnipeg or Churchill and explore partnerships with local academia or conservation organizations to build capacity.
About Polar Bears International
Polar Bears International (PBI) is a registered Canadian nonprofit organization with a mission to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on. As a science-based organization with staff including leading polar bear scientists and partnerships that span the circumpolar Arctic, we focus on addressing both the long- and short-term challenges that polar bears face, with a goal of sustaining a future for the bears across the Arctic. Our key pillars of work include research, human-bear coexistence, education, and policy.
While PBI supports projects across the Arctic, Manitoba serves as a base for our outreach, research, and coexistence efforts. PBI has worked with the Churchill community since 1992. This work includes supporting the Churchill’s Bear Smart Working Group, developing materials with bear safety messaging, partnering on an Indigenous Knowledge study about human-polar bear coexistence, testing the effectiveness of non-lethal polar bear deterrents, supporting research on the area’s polar bears, working with the town on waste management by providing bear-proof waste bins and supporting research into alternative waste management, testing and training a ground-based radar system in Churchill to identify polar bears and to alert authorities of their approach, and bringing Churchill leaders together with leaders from polar bear communities in Ontario and Norway for a Polar Bear Safe Community Exchange.