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Jonathon Naylor Editor Our countdown of the top stories of 2011 concludes with our picks for the 10 most significant happenings of the year now passed. * * * 10. Nature's Fury Trees snapped like twigs, roofing peeled off like old paint and gazebos flew through the air like frisbees early July 19 as Mother Nature unleashed a fierce storm on the region. Winds hit their peak at 57 miles an hour at 4:30 a.m., by which time numerous residents had already been stirred awake by the potent blend of wind, rain and lightning. 'I'd say that this is the most severe windstorm that I can recall,' said Tom Goodman, a long-time area resident. The following day, the full extent of the damage was only beginning to come to light. The financial cost alone was likely to run into the tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injury _ a fact one resident called 'miraculous.' Dozens, if not hundreds, of trees fell prey to the winds, many of them breaking off at the roots. Numerous power poles were also toppled, either by winds or collapsing trees. Destruction seemed to be most severe in Denare Beach and at the cottage areas, with multiple reports of trees plunging onto houses, garages, vehicles and boats. See 'Pio...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 9. It's Hip To Be Square At the corner of what is now Main Street and First Avenue sits a property of great historical significance. In the 1920s and '30s, the first Flin Flonners would pass by the site on their way to seek much-coveted work at HBMS. In 1931, it housed one of the community's first major businesses, Abe Ostry's grocery store, and in time became home to a series of other popular commercial ventures. It is only fitting, then, that all these decades later the site will serve as a homage to the men and women who built Flin Flon in the form of Pioneer Square. 'It's, I think, very appropriate to name it the Pioneer Square for those builders that built this country, that built the North, that were here, that opened up the mines,' then-MLA Gerard Jennissen told the grand opening in September. About 50 guests, including civic leaders, donors and construction workers, attended the afternoon ceremony, getting a sneak peek at the park prior to the removal of the surrounding wooden barricades. And from the moment their feet touched the smooth brickwork, they were in awe of the handsome $569,000 undertaking. 8. Is It Good For Us? Fluoridation was hardly an issue in the campaign that brought the present Flin Flon City Council to office in 2010. But it sure turned into one in 2011. On March 1 came a surprise council vote not to purchase a fluoride distributor for the new water treatment plant. This meant an end to fluoridation once the plant becomes operational in 2012. Dentists, health officials and some everyday citizens opposed the move, arguing fluoridation is vital to good oral health in a population. Council did not agree and in June voted to end fluoridation immediately. In both votes, Coun. Skip Martin was the lone voice of opposition. Council's arguments against fluoridation ran the gamut. They said it is potentially dangerous, amounts to medicating the public without their consent and lacks a clear consensus from scientists in terms of its effectiveness. Ed Yauck, a retired dentist and former mayor of Flin Flon, vowed council would receive a petition to have the fluoridation debate settled through a referendum in the next municipal election. Fluoridation began in 1989 following a referendum. 7. Taking Appointments Flin Flon entered a new health care era in February with the opening of the NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority Medical Clinic. Based on the third floor of the hospital, the facility for the first time brought together most local health care services under one roof. 'With it being in the hospital, people can come here and see the doctor, go down to main floor and get some lab work done as long as it's not fasting,' said manager Candice Hryhoruk. With 6,770 sq. feet of space, the clinic came complete with brand new equipment and a faux-marble floor that sparkles in the light. Eleven consultation rooms are used by permanent doctors and visiting specialists. There is also a nursing station and a waiting room that accommodates more than 40 people. The opening of the new clinic was not without controversy, however, as many patients had concerns over taking two elevators up three stories to reach the clinic. Questions were also raised about the financial figures the NRHA used to justify the project to the provincial government. An audit of those figures is due out in 2012. 6. Election Fever For the first time in history, Flin Flon and Creighton residents both elected MLAs and MPs in the same year. It all started in early May when New Democrat Niki Ashton scored a second term as the MP of northern Manitoba. Northern Sask-atchewan remained the domain of Conservative Rob Clarke, a Mountie-turned-politician. While Ashton won decisively across the riding, capturing over half of the popular vote, she lost Flin Flon by a single vote to Wally Daudrich of the Tories. Clarke's victory was by no means overwhelming, as he won by fewer than 800 votes over Lawrence Joseph of the NDP. In October, Flin Flonners helped send New Democrat Clarence Pettersen to the Manitoba legislature as their new MLA. The result surprised no one given the NDP's strength in the riding and Pettersen's popularity. The following month saw another New Democrat, Doyle Vermette, reclaim the MLA's seat in the northeastern Saskatchewan riding of Cumberland. Issues throughout the campaigns included health care, the plight of First Nations and infrastructure spending. 5. Expiry Date It's true that businesses come and go with time, but few Flin Flonners were prepared for the surprise closure of Extra Foods. Citing poor sales, parent company Loblaws announced in August it would close the store for good Oct. 15. 'It's devastating not only to our employees, but also to the city of Flin Flon,' said Blair Hudson, northern Manitoba rep for the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents store employees. Craig Ware, Loblaws' director of corporate affairs for western Canada, said the store 'is no longer economically viable to continue to operate.' The announcement promised to reshape Flin Flon's grocery and retail market while eliminating one of the community's largest employers. Extra Foods had 45 workers, about 17 of whom were full-time. Hudson, who lacked access to the store's records, said he had no inkling of the financial challenges facing the outlet. See 'Reed...' on pg. 7 Continued from pg. 6 Almost as soon as the announcement was made came a rumour that Loblaws would reopen the store under a different name at a later date. The company denied any such plan. 4. Health Care Hullabaloo Controversy surrounding the NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority reached a boiling point with the release of a highly critical operational review. In May a provincially appointed review panel published a lengthy report urging the NRHA to make 44 improvements. 'The major and overriding concern expressed about patient care surrounds physician practice and access to physician care...' read the report. 'Patient care must be the priority for everyone concerned.' By the time the report was released, NRHA CEO Drew Lockhart had resigned. Toward the end of the year, the province released a financial audit of the NRHA that recommended further changes. While the report identified no 'improprieties,' it uncovered costs some might find questionable, such as a $958 dinner for 10 people. Numerous complaints also surfaced at the NRHA's annual general meeting in October. Among them: some seniors must live at the Flin Flon General Hospital because there are not enough care home beds. 3. Going Nuclear? If ever there were a debate that captured the attention of the Flin Flon-Creighton area, this was it. Creighton Town Council's steps to learn more about potentially hosting a nuclear-waste storage facility sparked plenty of discussion at coffee shops and around dinner tables. Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization is searching for a community to house an underground repository that would store the country's spent nuclear fuel rods. A decision on where the facility will be located is still years away, and the repository itself not due to open until 2035. Creightonite Dan Hlady said he favours the repository for its promised economic perks _ over 4,000 jobs across the various phases. 'The future for economic development is basically wide open,' he said. But other Creightonites like Bob LeSage have grown staunchly opposed. As he puts it, 'no one can guarantee an absolutely impervious repository.' 'As we all know, radioactivity has a habit of hanging around for more than just a generation or two,' LeSage said. 2. Mining Shift Statements from a top HudBay Minerals official illustrated the shift of the regional mining landscape away from Flin Flon and toward Snow Lake. Tom Goodman, senior vice-president and chief operating officer, said the company will be 'diminishing' its Flin Flon footprint as its presence will be 'growing in the Snow Lake area.' Goodman made the comments while addressing the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce in February. At the same meeting, HudBay President and CEO David Garofalo denied speculation the company has plans to boost its processing capacity in Flin Flon. He said he doubts the zinc produced from the Lalor mine, set to reach full production in 2014, will warrant an expansion of the company's state-of-the-art zinc plant. Later in the year came word HudBay would build a new concentrator in Snow Lake to process ore from Lalor. After months of hinting at the project, the company confirmed it will spend $144 million on a new concentrator rather than upgrade its existing facility in the northern town. 1. Need For Reed HudBay Minerals announced it will develop a copper mine at the Reed project outside Snow Lake, generating nearly 80 jobs once full production begins within two years. The significant yet unsurprising announcement came in December after years of upbeat speculation around the copper property, located some 50 kilometres west of the mining town. HudBay plans to spend $71 million _ just under half of it in 2012 _ to establish a mine set to launch production by late 2013 and wrap up five years later in 2018. An employee camp, mechanical shop, warehouse and a compressor building are among the proposed infrastructure projects. Ore will be trucked to the Flin Flon concentrator for crushing. HudBay plans to access the underground mineral resources via a trench, portal and decline near the centre of the surface site. Ore and development waste is to be hauled to surface using the decline. Reed is nowhere near as large or rich as 777 and Lalor, HudBay's flagship northern Manitoba finds, but it does promise a stable stream of high-grade copper.
