August 23, 2003

Representatives of the province will meet with a Japanese delegation in Churchill today to discuss tourism opportunities, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Eric Robinson has announced.

"Polar bears and the brilliant display of northern lights are among the key attractions in Churchill for the delegation as well as for visitors from around the world," said Robinson. "We welcome our visitors from Oga City, in the Akita Prefecture, and encourage everyone to explore the numerous unique Manitoba attractions that can be found throughout our province."

Robinson said that to ensure future eco-tourism opportunities in Manitoba, the province has introduced several initiatives to ensure that wildlife and habitat are sustained for future generations to come.

"Both the Polar Bear Protection Act and the Resource Tourism Operators Act help safeguard Manitoba’s 1,200 polar bears and other wildlife along with their habitat," said Robinson. "Questionable facilities and illegal hunting, fishing and outdoor adventure tourism operations threaten legitimate service providers who respect our natural areas."

While touring the town, Robinson will also announce the annual operating grant of $98,000 for the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC) to support northern research and education services at the centre.

"The Northern Studies Centre has a significant impact on the town of Churchill and the northern Manitoba economy and has become known internationally for its research in the life and earth sciences," said Robinson. "Its unique location at the southern edge of the Arctic tundra makes it ideal for numerous short and long-term research projects ranging from climate change to polar bear ecology."

CNSC provides a variety of research opportunities in partnership with universities across North America as well as a full schedule of credit and non-credit courses in scientific and ecological studies. The non-profit centre facilitates research and education throughout the western Hudson Bay region, providing logistical support, courses and field research facilities to several hundred people each year.

"The Churchill Northern Studies Centre has taken a lead role in educational programming and provides a forum for discussions between northern and southern Manitobans on significant northern issues," said Robinson. "Staff and researchers at the centre are active in the community and continue to be important players in our government’s Northern Development Strategy, a long-term plan that identifies opportunities to develop both human and natural resources in the North."

Every two years, the CNSC hosts an international winter conference on circumpolar ecosystems. Plans are underway for the fifth conference in 2004. The Manitoba government has provided funding to the centre since 1976.

- 30 -