Residents leaving Churchill since rail line wash out

Churchill is a tight-knit community of 900 people.

But since the rail line washed out in the spring of 2017, it’s a community that is getting smaller each week.

“Churchill has always been the type of place where we are remote but we’re not isolated,” resident Echo Finlay said. “To see some really key community people leaving is so scary.”

Town officials told Global News 30 families have left Churchill since last May.

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“It’s challenging for sure,” Mayor Michael Spence said. “We’re going through challenges of low employment rates.”

As jobs become harder to find and fuel and food costs continue to soar, some residents felt they were left with no choice but to leave the northern town all together.

“It’s like having part of your family move away and then you’re stuck there at the table going well now what? It’s just an empty seat,” Finlay said.

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Those empty seats are being found more often inside the Duke of Marlborough, Churchill’s only school.

“We’re down about 40 students from where we were last June,” Chief Superintendent of the Frontier School Division Reg Klassen said. “That’s a result of what has happened with the rail line. That’s a direct result of that based on loss of jobs in Churchill.”

Klassen said it’s not surprising, because even the school division is feeling the pinch when it comes to rising costs. In previous years the division would bring students south to participate in different events. But it’s now become far too costly.

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Klassen also said a lower school enrolment could have an impact on teaching jobs for the next school year.

“It means that we have to look at staffing,” he said.  “A significant drop in student enrolment has some correlation to staffing, so that will require some thought on that.”

However, the ultimate impact the community will endure is still undetermined.

There is no timeline for the rail line to be fixed.