Churchill, Manitoba

The town of Churchill grew from a remote outpost to a bustling seaport with the construction of the Hudson Bay Railroad and Port of Churchill in the late 1920s. Through much of the 1950s and 1960s, the town was a thriving military community.

Set amid rugged wilderness, life in Churchill today for the 1,000 residents (and thousands of visitors) depends on the latest technology as well as traditional life skills. The community melds tradition and innovation in many ways – the multimillion-dollar Town Centre Complex, for example, features interior walkways lined with brightly coloured Inuit wall hangings and prints. This remote but accessible northern community stays connected with the world through cell phone coverage along with high speed and wireless Internet.

Churchill, population 1,000, is accessible by air and rail. The rail line, which was built over permafrost and muskeg in 1929 and required a crew of 3,000 to complete, was washed out in spring floods in 2017. The rail line has be full restored and welcoming guests. Calm Air run regular scheduled air service from Winnipeg, Thompson and Gillam year-round.

More than 500,000 beluga whales live in Hudson Bay and during the summer around 5,000 of them migrate to Churchill area to calve and feed between July and August. Seals can also be seen in the harbour and caribou are frequently sighted along the coast.

Churchill is self-claimed as the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’ it is the most accessible place to be able to see polar bears in the wild! The bears can be seen all year round and depending on which setting you would prefer to see the bears in. July and August is perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to bare the cold. October and November is best time to see polar bears in the snow as at this time of the year they begin to migrate.

In February and March visitors are awestruck upon seeing the haunting beauty of our aurora borealis (northern lights). Blue, green and white in colour, they swirl and dance in the still northern sky with performances that can be seen on clear nights. According to legend, the northern lights will dance their way down to earth in you whistle at them. Why not give it a try?

In May and June Churchill is a birdwatchers' paradise-some 250 species of birds including the rare Ross Gull, nest or pass through on their yearly migrations. Bird Cove is an excellent spot for bird-watching. The wreck of the Ithaca, caught in a windstorm in 1960 while carrying nickel ore from Rankin Inlet to Montreal, is at the western tip of the cove. Akudlik Marsh and Harbour Board Ponds are also very good spots for birdwatchers.

On the tundra, lichens and miniature shrubs and flowers bloom each spring and fall. A short distance inland are patches of taiga (subarctic) forest, with black spruce, scattered white spruce and a thick mat of lichens. Twin Lakes is an island of boreal forest rising out of the surrounding subarctic tundra.

No matter what season you visit Manitoba you are never far away from an adventure.