GBJ reports: The town with more polar bears than people

By JUSTIN OLSVIK

Global Business Journalism reporter

Churchill, Manitoba, is a small Canadian town with problems unlike any other. This outpost in Canada's Arctic north has been able to capitalize on the fact that hundreds of polar bears wander through the community every year, providing a seasonal stream of tourism income.

But now, climate change is threatening polar bear populations and Churchill's way of life. Still, the climate crisis might also bring with it some uncomfortable new economic opportunities.

Global Business Journalism reporter Justin Olsvik traveled to Churchill to report on the lure (and lore) of the polar bear, the economic lure of Canada's "northwestern passage" for global shipping and the challenges exacerbated by global climate change.

• Documentary by Justin Olsvik

• Historical footage shot by George Coutts, courtesy of the Archives of Manitoba

• Maps courtesy of the Library and Archives of Canada