Agenda hidden
"The Harper government has another agenda for Churchill. Let us know what it is. We're trying to figure that out. Is Churchill going to continue to play a role in shipping grain through the Port of Churchill? I wish the government would take a closer look at Churchill and the situation we're in."
Regardless of what happens on the grain front, Spence said it's critical for Churchill to diversify its revenue sources. He said it can play a significant role in the mining and metal industries of Nunavut, including shipping fuel and other commodities to help develop the territory's infrastructure.
Spence said he'd also like to explore what kind of role Churchill could play in CentrePort, Canada's inland port in Winnipeg, in terms of shipping goods to Russia, China and India.
Churchill can provide a more direct shipping route by going out through Hudson Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, he said.
"The governments of the day need to realize Churchill can play a significant role in the development of Canada and Canada's north. Sure, there needs to be investment. We're all faced with the challenge, you've got to nurture it. We should be investing in our infrastructure so we can put people back to work," he said.
Another hot-button issue in Churchill is global warming. On one hand, warmer temperatures mean an earlier break up of northern shipping routes, which translate into an expanded shipping season. Whereas currently shipments flow from the first week of August to the end of October, Spence said he foresees a time when the port is busy from July through to the end of November.
On the downside, however, the higher the mercury, the more difficult it becomes for polar bears to live in their natural habitat. That's a troubling trend for a community that calls itself the "Polar Bear Capital of the World."
Tourism
John Gunter, general manger of Frontier North Adventures, which provides polar bear tours in "tundra buggies," said there will be polar bears in the West Hudson Bay area for as long as he's alive. It's his great, great, great grandchildren that may have to deal with the consequences, he said.
from Western Investor July 2011
