Churchill residents say year-round shipping would benefit town but tourism, environment must be considered

Churchill, Man., residents are welcoming findings suggesting a longer shipping season is possible but say any expansion must weigh the impacts on tourism and the environment.

A series of studies commissioned by Port of Churchill owner Arctic Gateway Group say year-round shipping through the Hudson Bay might be feasible without the use of the most expensive icebreakers amid shrinking sea ice.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Friday the studies bolster hopes the province could ship liquefied natural gas through the country’s only rail accessible deepwater port on Arctic waters.

Dave Daley of Churchill tour operator Wapusk Adventures said year-long shipping would help increase a dwindling population by bringing more people to town and provide economic opportunities for youths.

But he said many questions remain as to what an extension would mean for the environment and the town’s burgeoning ecotourism industry.

“A lot of people are talking about is it going to interfere with the seal birthing grounds? Is it going to interfere with polar bears out on the sea ice?” Daley said.

“We’ve built our tourism industry in Churchill, that is recognized around the world as one of the most amazing places on the planet to come to. So … people are excited, and people are against it, too.”

Jeremy Allen, a tour operator with Lazy Bear Expeditions, said striking a balance will be a “tough challenge.”

“In my experience, a lot of times when the big ships pull in, the whales are kind of gone for the day. But that’s something we’ll have to deal with,” he said, adding he believes most residents would be in support of expanding the shipping season.

“There’s a lot people … here in this town that grew up with the port and didn’t grow up with tourism and say they would rather have the port than tourism.”

Kinew said Friday the environmental effects of LNG shipments are not on the same level as those of shipping oil, dismissing the idea there would be as much Indigenous and local opposition to that activity.

Any expansion would pose ‘real risks’: wildlife ecologist

Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and an expert on the ecology of the Hudson Bay lowlands, said the local landscape is so sensitive any kind of industrial accident “would be catastrophic.”

“LNG is different than oil … but LNG would come with its own unique impacts and risks,” Brook said. “Any shipping and any industrial expansion is going to come with some very real risks. And I think we can’t just sweep those under the rug.”

Kristin Westdal, a marine mammal expert and vice-president of science at marine conservation non-profit Oceans North, said the potential impacts on local wildlife — including belugas, narwhals and polar bears — and mitigation measures need to be studied before moving forward with this kind of economic development.

But Westdal added year-round shipping is “extremely speculative.”

“We’re still in that place where we’re talking about ideas — really future ideas,” she said.

“I think we really need to get back to this idea of figuring out what we want to do with that environment first and how to protect it.”

The vessels required to expand the shipping season year-round will cost in the range of hundreds of millions, significantly cheaper than the multibillion-dollar ice breakers needed to traverse the thickest ice in the Arctic Ocean, according to the findings in the commissioned studies.

They say the class of tankers that would be able to travel through the icy waters might not be able to manoeuvre the narrow entrance of the existing port when fully laden with LNG.

Kinew said Friday an expansion that would include an offshore LNG terminal in the Hudson Bay would cost $70 to $80 billion. He said he plans to travel to Toronto in September to pitch investors on the expansion.

Joe Stover, who worked at the port before pivoting to tourism after previous owner Omnitrax shut down operations in 2016, said the town would benefit from having a more diversified economy.

“Certainly nobody wants … climate change to have all the effects that we see happening right now,” he said. “But in the meantime, you see what’s happening, you have to take advantage of an opportunity that’s there … responsibly, of course.”