Churchill braves cold with little propane
Critical situation due to washed-out rail line linking town to south
CHURCHILL, MAN. — Churchill residents were wrapped in scarves and mittens as they walked down the streets of the northern Manitoba community over the weekend, but despite the weather, many homes were still chilly inside.
Churchill is critically low on propane — a fuel that is used to heat many buildings.
The town has been without a rail line linking it to the south for more than a year after flooding washed out portions of the tracks.
“It goes back to no rail line, and that’s what the problem is,” said Mayor Mike Spence. “Last year the province had to bring propane in by marine vessel, which is the first it’s ever happened in this community.”
On Monday, as temperatures hovered around -2 C, the Amundsen icebreaker, a research ship that has spent the last six weeks exploring Hudson Bay, pulled up to the now closed port.
It brought experts, scientists and politicians, including Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, north for a two-day workshop exploring climate change and globalization of the Arctic.
Carr said he is aware the province and community are working to rectify the propane situation, and he hopes a similar outcome will follow for the rail line.
“That can’t come soon enough,” he said. “These people are tough, they are patient and I understand the kind of hardship they have experienced because I’ve seen it ... and I hear it.”
Omnitrax, which owns the rail line, has said it is appealing a federal regulatory ruling that requires it to repair the track. Hudson Bay Railway Co., which is owned by Omnitrax, has said it cannot afford to repair the line.
On Friday, the community issued a notice urging people to turn off their heat or reduce temperatures in homes and businesses, and to keep windows and doors closed.
The cost of food and other materials has greatly increased since Churchill became a fly-in-only community.