Apr 9, 2025: Community Talk by Philipp Budka in Churchill, Manitoba
On April 9, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM CDT (GMT-5), Philipp Budka will present a talk titled “Navigating Change: How Transport Infrastructure Shapes Life in Churchill” at the Theatre of the Town Centre Complex in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.
As part of this community event, the InfraNorth researcher will explore how transport infrastructures both shape and are shaped by life in Churchill – a northern Manitoba town of 870 residents on the shores of Hudson Bay. With no year-round road access, Churchill relies on the Hudson Bay Railway, the Port of Churchill, and an airport – key transportation systems that operate within a complex network of local, regional, and global influences. Following the severe flooding in 2017, which cut off the rail link for 18 months, community-driven ownership emerged through a consortium of northern communities, reasserting local agency over essential transport facilities.
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2022 and 2023, alongside a questionnaire survey and scenario-based workshops, Budka will discuss the critical role of reliable transportation in tourism, commerce, and basic supplies of daily life. He will also examine how cultural, familial, and livelihood factors influence residents’ decisions to stay in Churchill. His findings highlight the town’s proactive approach to infrastructural sovereignty, underscoring broader insights for Arctic and Subarctic regions seeking sustainable, community-led models of transport governance and development.
This event is supported by the Town of Churchill. Light refreshments will be served.
