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: People keep talking about gangs supposedly in town. I know that's an RCMP issue, but what as mayor can you tell us based on your discussions with those in the "know"? Mayor Therien: We keep hearing about supposed gangs being in town. I have personally broached this subject with our RCMP and they assure me we do not have an issue in this regard. This does not preclude that their are those who are "wanna be's" in our communities and, as such, wear the colours of known groups, but they are few and far between. If these groups were seriously in our communities, we would be having a lot more problems than we do. One only needs to follow what goes on in The Pas and Thompson to get a better perspective of the damage that can be inflicted by these so-called gangs. I know it can be scary to think we would be in the same position as these other two communities, but currently we are not. This does not mean we should ignore the possibility of gangs dominating our streets in the future. Having said that, our RCMP are doing all they can to keep our streets as safe as they can. Of course, this is my opinion only, but to blame some incidents that have occurred on gangs may not be, properly, the prudent thing to do. * * * Question: What is the mayor's actual power versus that of a single councillor? Aren't they both "one person, one vote"? Mayor Therien: Let me assure you, there is no distinction between a mayor and a councillor other than I am the leader of the group, if you will. Collectively, we are all of similar voice in terms of issues and policies, and this is as it should be. We are all allowed to speak on any and all issues that pertain to the City of Flin Flon, and all of us must vote on each and every resolution that is put forth by council unless there is a clearly defined conflict of interest in regards to your vote and the issue at hand. The outcome of all votes is determined by the majority of council as a whole, and clearly not by any individual councillor or mayor. * * * 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. Ask the Mayor runs Mondays.
