September 12, 2025
By Ron, Executive Director
Honouring the Big Water
In June of last year, I stood with dozens of Churchill residents and visitors on the rocky shore of Hudson Bay as the waves lapped against the land. Together, we joined in a traditional water ceremony led by local Elders to honour the life-giving abundance of the Big Water.
It was the first gathering of its kind in living memory, a moment that brought people together across cultures to recognize what Hudson Bay provides: food, culture, livelihood, and spirit.
After the ceremony, I went out on the water. Gliding through the ice floes, I watched pods of beluga whales surface and roll, their white backs gleaming against the steel-blue sea. Overhead, Arctic terns darted and cried. And just beyond town, the world’s southernmost population of polar bears roamed the coastline.
Hudson Bay is not only breathtakingly beautiful, it’s one of the most ecologically important places in the world. Every summer, around 55,000 beluga whales, one-third of the planet’s population, return to these waters to calve and raise their young.
“Every summer, 55,000 belugas, one-third of the world’s population, gather in Hudson Bay.”
A Living Legacy of Culture and Economy
For generations, Indigenous Peoples have called these shores home. Their knowledge, stories, and cultural practices are inseparable from the land and water.
Today, Churchill is also home to a thriving tourism industry built around this extraordinary natural heritage, an economy that sustains families, small businesses, and guides, and one that draws visitors who leave with a deeper respect for nature and culture.
The Nation-building Question
There is growing national attention on Churchill, both for its role as Canada’s only deep-water Arctic port and for its potential as a hub in global trade. We understand the importance of nation-building projects.
But as the federal government advances its vision under the new Build Canada Act (Bill C-5), we must ask: what kind of nation are we building if projects come at the expense of our greatest natural and cultural treasures?
“What kind of nation are we building if projects come at the expense of our greatest natural and cultural treasures?
The Case for a National Marine Conservation Area
There is another path forward. Canada has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) in Hudson Bay.
An NMCA would not shut down economic activity. Rather, it would provide a clear, balanced framework for managing the bay’s waters in a way that sustains both people and ecosystems.
The first step is straightforward: the federal government must launch a feasibility study for a National Marine Conservation Area in Western Hudson Bay.
It’s high time as they proposed an NMCA here in 2018.
Momentum is Growing
At last year’s Honouring the Water gathering, the Manitoba Minister of Environment and Climate Change joined Parks Canada representatives and local residents in conversations about securing Hudson Bay’s future. There is real energy and optimism about what can be achieved if we act together.
At the same time, pressures are mounting. Climate change is shrinking sea ice, forcing polar bears onto land for longer periods. Global trade tensions are driving calls for increased shipping and industrial activity.
Building Wisely, Not Repeating Mistakes
Nation-building should not mean carving up lands and waters for short-term profit while leaving local communities to deal with the damage. It should mean building wisely, with foresight, respect, and balance.
Hudson Bay offers Canada a chance to show the world how to do it right: strengthen our economy while protecting one of the planet’s most important ecosystems, respect Indigenous leadership while supporting community prosperity, and leave a legacy future generations will thank us for.
“Nation-building should mean building wisely, with foresight, respect, and balance.”
The Next Step
The people of Churchill already know what they have: a national treasure of global significance. The Build Canada Act sets out to define ambitious projects for the country’s future. What better example could there be than securing Hudson Bay through a National Marine Conservation Area?
Launching a feasibility study is the natural first step, one that would align economic vision with ecological responsibility.
Let’s build a future where Canada’s prosperity and Canada’s natural heritage thrive side by side.You can help make it happen. Add your voice by signing our online postcard calling on the federal government to create a National Marine Conservation Area in Hudson Bay, starting with a feasibility study.