From everyone we talked to, if you live in Churchill, you
don’t just have one job – you have many. Apparently, you can’t just find one
occupation that will meet all your living needs. Many are tour guides, but also
work as Park Rangers for the Provincial Government or Parks Canada. Most seem
to do gun repair or refurbishment, as the needs for guns here for bear
protection is a focus. While hard to see here, Kevin Burke has his name painted
on this personal tundra buggy #12. He is the only Churchill resident that
drives for the only tow companies allowed to venture on the tundra.
Given the local dependence on various and different forms of
transportation, apparently sled dog teams get priority in Churchill when it
comes to parking. There was not enough of the white stuff on the ground yet for
us to be able to confirm this.
In Churchill, it used to be that Polar Bears were on a
three-strike system – first time in town, they were tagged with a green tag.
Second time, they were tagged with red. Third time, they were shot. Now that
they have recognized the importance of the Bear to their economy, they have
instituted a Polar Bear jail. If Bears come into town, they are trapped and
incarcerated in these units.
The Bears are taken to a jail facility where they are held
for several days. While held, they get no food or water, so not to encourage
them to revisit. After being incarcerated for several days, they are netted and
flown considerable miles from town in hopes that they don’t return. We visited
the Polar Bear jail, but folks aren’t allowed inside to see the convicts.
Believe it or not, this is actually a real street in
Manitoba. It’s great to have confirmation of Canadians’ sense of humor.
Many Manitoba towns we visited had the kinds of murals we saw
on the outside of the Polar Bear jail. Churchill had its share of murals, with
more than a dozen on sides of buildings throughout town. The murals add a
mystique to the already interesting settings that are the backdrops of rural
and Northern Manitoba.
I am pretty sure that this sign could be put on Colectiva as
well. Kona the pooch suffers from the same lack of control.
Talk to you soon!
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