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.
Question: Seeing as how Flin Flon has problems with young people spray-painting graffiti and causing problems late at night, would you consider a curfew for those under 18, 17 or 16 like they have in other places, and why or why not? Question: Would city council ever consider imposing a curfew on youth under 18 and fining their guardians in a bid to curb some of the senseless vandalism that Flin Flon experiences? Mayor Therien: If there is one issue that could spark major debate amongst our citizens and, ultimately, council, this would probably do it. A curfew is a restriction of someone's rights and privileges based solely on, in this case, age and cannot be taken lightly. This is a very touchy issue and, as such, I will only give you my personal opinion on this matter. In order to even think about imposing a curfew, I would need to believe we have a serious problem that would render this the only alternative we have left to try and solve the problem. By imposing a curfew, you effectively brand all our youth in a very negative way instead of the very few who feel it is their right to be disruptive to the point of damaging other people's property and/or their person. I really would struggle with this as I firmly believe a vast majority of our youth are great people and our future looks very bright as they get older. I may not agree with some of their curfews imposed by their parents, but that should remain their parent's choice. The ones who are causing the problems, I would question where their parents are in this equation, but that in itself is another issue. * * * Question: How was the $400,000 pledged by the NDP government for recreational facility enhancements in 2007 actually spent, down to the dollar? Is the amount spent on raised glass for the Whitney Forum added to the Whitney Forum's actual expenses or is it in a separate category in the city budget? Mayor Therien: In 2007, the NDP and Premier Doer came to Flin Flon and announced provincial monies for recreational infrastructure. Prior to all this, Flin Flon (as well as Creighton) had submitted a plan for a new rec complex to both provinces and the federal government for available grant money. This, as you know, did not materialize. Also included in this package was monies needed to upgrade and/or change existing recreational infrastructure, including what was to be the former Uptown Curling Club. These upgrades, etc., which would have been needed to change the direction of the (would have been) old curling club to an indoor soccer facility, for example, was what Premier Doer announced in his public address at the Whitney Forum. As the funding for the rec complex fell through, the need to do all the areas announced by Premier Doer was not feasible nor practical. We did, however, spend all of the monies on recreational infrastructure, including fixing the one wall at the Uptown Curling Club, rock and fill at the Flinty Trail, drainage for the new soccer field on Boam Street, a cement pad at the museum for their new storage building, and raised glass at the Whitney Forum. If you want cash values to all this, it actually totaled $558,000 and breaks down as Whitney Forum, $120,000; Uptown Curling Club, $155,000; Flinty Trail, $173,000; soccer field, $80,000; Station Museum, $30,000. The difference was funded through taxes. The second part of your question was in regards to the raised glass for the Whitney Forum and where in the budget it was put. The answer is, it was charged to Fiscal Services as a capital expense and not to the Whitney Forum. * * * Send your questions for Mayor Therien to The Reminder by phone at 687-3454; fax at 687-4473; e-mail at [email protected]; or standard delivery at "Ask the Mayor", C/O The Reminder, 14 North Avenue, Flin Flon, R8A 0T2. No names are required.
