At the edge of the unwelcoming shores of Hudson Bay a rainbow suddenly appears, both ends visible above the granite-grey, choppy waters. The ray of sunshine that comes with it is equally fleeting, bookended by sharp winds that sting any exposed inch of skin with ice.

We’ve been in Churchill, Manitoba for less than an hour but this sparse, frozen landscape is already overwhelming.

There may be no roads in or out of this tiny hamlet (population 800) but in the weeks before the deep freeze of winter really takes hold, Churchill explodes in size. In the Tundra Inn restaurant, hundreds of plates heaving with elk meatloaf, bison stew, and the house-made veggie “Borealis Burger” are served daily to tourists who have paid handsomely to stay in modest accommodations for a few days. We have come…