Tourism not a total loss in Churchill

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This article was published 16/08/2017 (2443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — As Churchill enters Week 12 with no rail service — and no solution in sight — a major tourism operator has cancelled its polar bear viewing season. But the northern town continues to attract visitors from across the world.

“We’re trying to do what we can to salvage the season at the end of the year. But it’s left a considerable void,” says Daryl Adair, owner of Rail Travel Tours.

Adair’s company processed returns Wednesday for October tours, as rail owner Omnitrax and the federal government tussle over who should pay to repair the Hudson Bay Railway. The line last operated May 23, when it was hit by heavy flooding.

Michael Woelcke, a regional manager for Via Rail, says the Crown company hasn’t yet tallied its losses, but is expecting to lose between 5,000 and 9,000 passengers, after strong bookings for the current beluga whale-watching season and autumn polar bear season.

“It looks like nothing will be resolved soon, so there will definitely be revenue losses,” he said.

Churchill’s still accessible by air, and the head of Frontiers North Adventures says most group tours have rebooked by flight, while some have postponed.

“In the big picture, we’re OK,” said John Gunter, who employs 25 people full time and 35 in peak seasons. 

A day before flying up to Churchill to snorkel with beluga whales, Gunter said it was somewhat lucky that rail service ended before tourism season, because operators could try making alternate arrangements. 

Yet Gunter said self-organized tours have taken a hit, with the Tundra Inn hostel seeing a slew of cancellations. He says people who travel by train often spend their nights and dollars in places like Thompson and Dauphin, and that it draws families who drive from Saskatchewan.

Meanwhile, Gunter’s company has had to pay fivefold the normal cost of rail and truck transport, to ship things through Montreal like the bear-sized tires for large Tundra Buggy vehicles, which roll over snow and gravel to approach polar bears.

Gunter, who grew up in Churchill, says the number of people interested in coming shows the need to find a solution to the rail line issue.  

“It’s our busiest summer ever,” he says. 

“As devastating as the rail line closure is for the community of Churchill, the tourism industry is thriving right now.”

Adair wishes he could say the same. The company was expecting an uptick in guests for the 300th anniversary of the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post, while he’s heard many using the Canada 150 Youth Pass rebooked trips to Churchill.

“We had a banner year, and that’s all for naught,” said Adair. His company charges up to $3,500 for tours, and books hundreds of guests each year.

He says the majesty of riding a historical rail line has been replaced by flights for those who can afford them, and tourists feeling guilty for taking from limited food supplies. 

“From the premier, and certainly from the federal government, I’ve seen no sense of urgency,” he said. “It’s very frustrating, and it’s running in circles, and the ones who get lost are the citizens of Canada and visitors to Canada.”

Adair praises VIA Rail for keeping its line running up to Gillam, where the company started taking groups last year. For now, he’s trying to persuade tourists to postpone rather than cancel their trips, fighting his own skepticism to believe the line will go farther again.

“We’re trying to encourage people to stay with us and come next year, when we trust and presume the line will be up and running.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Transport Minister Marc Garneau have both said Omnitrax must pay to fix the line, though the company said on July 18 it wouldn’t pay an estimated $20 million to $60 million to repair the line, deeming it “not economically viable.”

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca