Inaccessible to tourists, northern Manitoba fishing lodges angling to catch what's left of 2020 season

Jerry Dunlop is cancelling people's vacations with a phone call.

They're discussions the fishing lodge owner in northern Manitoba wisheshe wasn't having.

"Some peopleare very sad. It's almost you've had grown men crying on the phone because they want to come on their fishing trip."

Fishing and hunting lodge owners in the northern reaches of Manitoba, such as Dunlop, are coping with not just one boundarybarring their guests, but effectivelytwo.

Many lodges reel in American tourists, almost exclusively,but those anglers cannot cross the international border into Canada.

Even Canadian tourists are prohibited from recreational travelnorth ofManitoba's53rd parallel the point about 350 kilometres north of Winnipeg that's often used to define where "northern Manitoba" begins.

Thatrestriction on non-essential travel was imposed in mid-April by a provincial health orderto prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the northern region.

Somelodges have been left without any income.

"I'm really worried for this season," said Brian Kotak, executive director with the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association.

Nearly three-quarters of the first 60 business owners who replied to a recent association survey saidthere's at least a "somewhat high" risk they won't openthis year.

"The longer and longer this gets drawn out,the more difficult it is going to be," Kotak said.

More than 1,600 people were employed in Manitoba's hunting and fishing sector last year, according to an in-progress study commissioned by Travel Manitoba.

Facing loss of entire year

Dunlop owns alodgeon WaskaiowakaLake,130kilometres northeast of Thompsonat the start of the Little Churchill River. His private airstrip allows access toa spot otherwisemostlycut off from the world, which offers a bounty of northern pike.

But hisfishing season runs only three months of the year; the lake isfrozenthe rest of the year.

All June bookings atDunlop's Fly-In Lodge& Outposts have been called off. He's already lost a third of his guestsfor July and August. Someguestsare leery of flying this summer, even if restrictions are lifted, Dunlop said.

"Ifwe lose this,we lose our income for a full year," he said from his home inLa Broquerie, Man., adding that loss extends to his 14 employees.

"It's a lot of weight [on your shoulders.] You lose a little bit of sleep at night."

At some point, Dunlop said it won't make financial sense to operate. He spends $40,000 every yearto gethis lodge ready, tallying theprice of flights, fuel and food.

Dunlop said he cannot rely on domestic tourism to pick up the slack. Eachvacationcan costthousands of dollars with the flight included.

"People don't do these tripson a last-minute notice. These trips are well planned out,usually a year ahead of time, just because people have to budget for them."

Bryan Bogdan knew he'd experience hard times as a fishing lodge owner, butnever expected his calendar would be wiped so suddenly.

"We had the bookings, we had the deposits down," he said. "It was going to be our biggest year, bar none."

After runningWekusko Falls Lodge, near Snow Lake,for a decade, Bogdan was at aplace where"our snowball is rollingdownhill without us having to push it."

But then the pandemic hit. His ice-fishing season vanished inmid-March, nearly overnight.

"Wehit six figures of loss of revenue way back in April and those numbers just keep climbing fast."

Federal aid programs help, but they don't cover expensive overhead costs, such as insurance and taxes.

'You can't just live for free'

Just in case, he'slooking at job postings at the local mine.

"Some of us [in the lodge industry]are going to have to go get a job,there's just no way around it. You can't just live for free and just build up your expenses."

Bogdan canmake up lost bookings a bit easier than some, since his lodge is road-accessible rather thanfly-in, but he still faces a conundrum does he give up the bookings of American travellers, whose plans are uncertain, to local travellers who say they'll drive up as soon as possible?

He doesn't want to risktheloyalty he's fostered with hisAmerican customers, who visitannually, he said.

Manitoba's lodge owners are banking on a return to normal by 2021, postponing most of this year's trips to next year.

But a lot can change in that time,said David Duval, an associate professor in the business and economics faculty at the University of Winnipeg.

The dedicated target market of tourists from afarmay be nervous about travelling, or their incomes maydwindle.

There are"certain individuals who are wealthier who canafford to do this kind of activity," he said."If that dries up, that's aproblem."

But theManitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association's Kotaksaid he's encouraged by the fact almost every company is planning to return next year.

Dunlop will probably take out a loan, but said the good years will help his family get by.

Bogdandoesn't doubt that he'll be back either.

"The more that I get to know lodge owners, there's a lot of, 'We don't quit.' It'sprobably the closest thing to farming that I know for mentality in business."

No matter what happens this summer, Bogdanwill still be guiding at least two fishers on the water hisdaughters, ages eight and six.

"That'ssomething I'll definitely treasure and take out of this taking those kids to a lot of cool spots they never would have gotto see."

Facing loss of entire year

4 years ago

Duration 2:20

Manitoba's fishing lodge owners are banking on a return to normal by 2021, postponing most of this year's trips to next year.