The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
By Jonathon Naylor Wait, did 2012 just end? Because I could have sworn it just began. This past year went by faster than the glove hand of Devin Buffalo whooshing up to intercept a slap shot. With all of 2013 (well, almost all of it) now ahead of us, here are some of my personal predictions for Flin Flon and area: The Manitoba government will unveil plans to pave all roads in The Pas and Thompson with solid gold. Not to be left out, Flin Flon will get $25 for a can of paint for the Whitney Forum lobby. Some sort of movement within the old Flin Flon Hotel will spur rumours of the building's imminent reopening. (Oops, sorry, that was my prediction for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, not 2013. My bad.) The Town of Creighton will continue to tout the virtues of nuclear waste storage even as the Saskatchewan government continues to suggest such a project will never be allowed in the province. The rest of us won't be sure what to think. Communities across Manitoba that are surrounded by cottage subdivisions will keep a close eye on Flin Flon's potentially precedent-setting attempts to glean revenue from its 'lake people.' There will be a fresh spate of rumours about the fate of the old Extra Foods building, the most colourful of which will somehow involve unicorns. The building will continue to sit empty. One new ore body will be found in northern Manitoba and under-hyped; two dozen more will be found and over-hyped. Flin Flon City Council will approve a budget that doles out more money than last year, reigniting calls for spending reductions. Attendance at Bomber games will soar as the team rekindles the magic of the first months of the season en route to a playoff run that will surprise the heck out of everyone. The Flin Flon Community Choir will astonish audiencegoers with a performance that everyone is sure is their best ever. Flin Flonners will place wagers on what will go up faster this year: their property taxes or their hydro bills. Both city council and MLA Clarence Pettersen will argue there was absolutely no other way. A group of volunteers will decide that it's finally time to start fundraising to repair the time-worn Flinty statue. One Flin Flonner will spread nasty gossip about another Flin Flonner, and far too many of their fellow Flin Flonners will take it at face value even though it's not true. Elected officials in Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach will be criticized loudly and publicly for something completely frivolous, but that is part of their job. Someone will want so badly for Tim Hortons to set up shop in Flin Flon that they will update the rumour that the donut giant is headed our way... again! Having lost to fire over the last decade the old Hemlock apartments, the old Chicken Chef, Mr. Ribs, the old restaurant in Denare Beach and the Bakers Narrows Lodge anchor building, residents will see no major blazes in 2013. (This one's based entirely on hope and prayer). The people who always complain about the Trout Festival being 'the same old' will be the same ones who refuse to donate their time to make the festival better. Whatever happens this year, may events favour you and yours in 2013! Local Angle runs Fridays.
