Bishop William G. Cliff of the diocese of Brandon says he's worried the people of Churchill, Manitoba have been forgotten. That's why he penned a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau.

The isolated northern community has been without a rail line since flooding washed out several sections of rail in the spring. Since then the line's owner, OmniTRAX, and the Canadian Government have been in a public back-and-forth about who should be responsible for repairing the line.

"I'm very concerned that the people of the area - of Churchill - have been left out of the equation," says Cliff. "While the government is sorting out priorities and worrying about contract negotiations with OmniTRAX . . . I'm very concerned for the people, who have been under a great deal of stress for a long time."

Cliff says that in his letter to the prime minister he told him, "you're the only office that can make this happen. It's not a matter of negotiation; OmniTRAX is in breach of their contract. We really need the rail line fixed - there are interested parties ready to go to work, but the window is closing with winter coming, and we won't be able to do the work."

Cliff says that on a recent pastoral visit to Churchill he noted a change in the community compared to previous visits.

"I saw a lot slower pace in the community than I had the year before. The hotels were less busy. And I certainly sensed a lot more anxiety in town."

Cliff says that the lack of rail service has had an impact on families, as now they have to fly to leave the community, which is very expensive.

"People were saying to me that they were worried. The number of conversations I had with people who were discussing who was staying, or who was looking to leave and whether or not they could stay, it was very concerning."

If the government doesn't do anything Cliff says he fears "this community will simply be left to wither on the vine.

"The reality is that, according to our constitution, railways and ports are a federal responsibility. A lot of what we've seen on the news is negotiation, and a lot of punting the ball back and forth between the province, and federal, and the corporation OmniTRAX. But there is only one group that has the final responsibility under our constitution and in Canadian law, and that's the federal government."

Cliff says that if he had the opportunity to speak face to face with Prime Minister Trudeau, his message would be simple: "Act now."