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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The City of Flin Flon is ready to stop sending firefighters to blazes in cottage subdivisions unless a funding agreement is reached, a move that could leave hundreds of homes vulnerable. Mayor George Fontaine was asked Tuesday what the city is prepared to do if council and area cottage owner associations are unable to strike a deal for the cost of fire protection. 'Well there's only one thing you can do, is stop fighting the fires,' he said. Asked if the option of ending fire coverage is on the table, Mayor Fontaine replied: 'That's on the table. I've said that, yes it is.' 'But we wouldn't do that overnight,' he added. 'People have to make plans when you do something that drastic. Is it on the table? Yes.' No final decisions on fire protection have been made. City council and the cottage associations have been in talks over a fee that cottagers would pay in exchange for continued fire protection. Asked whether the city has made it clear to cottagers that fire protection could potentially be withdrawn if a deal fails, Mayor Fontaine said: 'I think I'm making it clear now.' 'I've said it several times, I've said it to many people,' he said as guest speaker at the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce meeting. Despite having no legal obligation to do so, the city has historically responded to residential and business fires beyond municipal limits. See 'Subsidizing...' on pg. 7 Continued from pg. 1 The city says it is frequently subsidizing those callouts because the victims' insurance policies often cap payouts to the fire department at $3,000, even though the tab is typically higher than that. While the city believes it has a legal right to pursue the remaining costs from the victims, it has encountered challenges in securing those dollars. City records show that since 2003, Flin Flon firefighters have been dispatched to six blazes in the outlying area. Only one of the victims had insurance that reimbursed the city in full. Some or all of the remaining five fires still have $5,215 in outstanding costs. Municipal Administrator Mark Kolt said efforts are still underway to obtain those funds. The city would not divulge how many of the five fires account for the outstanding bill. It is therefore possible that some or most of the victims have paid the city in full. It's not clear how or if cottagers would access fire protection if Flin Flon firefighters were no longer an option. A Manitoba government spokesperson said the province is aware of the situation. 'The (province) is working with the municipality and the cottage association to find a solution that ensures important emergency services are provided for every home in the area,' the spokesperson told The Reminder. At Tuesday's chamber meeting, Mayor Fontaine said the city attempted to reach a cottage area fire protection agreement with the province a few years back. It didn't work out, however, and he said the province today 'isn't jumping (through) any hoops to try and help us out.' 'So if we have to put the pressure on, as a council, that's what we'll do, because we're the ones paying the bills,' he told nearly 20 guests gathered at the Friendship Centre Restaurant. Mayor Fontaine could not set a deadline for a fire protection deal with the cottagers. He said the city is still investigating how a cottage fee might impact its funding agreement with Hudbay, which pays a grant to the municipality instead of taxes. A spokesperson for the Schist Lake / Big Island Cottage Owners Association had no comment on the mayor's statements.
