In the mid 1970s, Len Smith of Churchill envisaged the creation of a tundra vehicle from which people could safely view polar bears in their natural environment. A mechanic with the Department of Public Works at Fort Churchill at the time, he first converted an old school bus, combining it with parts of a gravel truck, a snowplow, a front-end loader and the tires from a crop sprayer to thrust the homemade wide-body cab three metres into the air, safely out of reach of curious bears, to create the first Tundra Buggy. Since then, his Tundra Buggy Tours have come to attract 9,000 to 10,000 international visitors a year to Churchill, the Polar Bear Capital of the World. An essential part of Churchill’s economic viability, the polar bear tours also benefit other Manitoba communities such as Thompson and Winnipeg. In 2003, Frontiers North Adventures assumed majority ownership of Churchill’s Tundra Buggy company which continues to thrive. In 2004, Smith was recognized by the minister of culture, heritage and tourism and Mayor Michael Spence for his outstanding contribution to the Churchill tourism industry. Today, Smith is retired and lives in Florida.
