The City of Flin Flon and area cottagers are reopening talks on a funding deal that could take annexation off the table forever.
The two sides are to discuss the possibility of cabin owners paying annual fees for fire protection and municipal recreational services.
“I think this is perhaps a positive thing that we’re at least talking and trying to get something settled,” said Dale Powell, a director with North of 54 Cottage Owners Association, which represents Flin Flon region cottagers. “We’re certainly going to give it our best shot and we expect that the city will, too.”
Mayor George Fontaine said he is “realistically, reasonably optimistic” heading into the dialogue.
“We’re comfortable to begin negotiations when [the cottagers] decide that they want to initiate them,” he said.
At a meeting attended by 200-plus members earlier this month, North of 54 received a mandate to discuss fire and recreation fees with the city.
Powell said any deal must come with an assurance that the city will not pursue annexation of cottage country, a step Fontaine has openly discussed.
“It wouldn’t make any sense to have one agreement with them and still have annexation hanging over our heads,” said Powell.
Fontaine said he is open to removing annexation from the city’s list of options.
“Sure I am, as long as we get a real agreement,” he said.
The threat of annexation, while seen by many cottagers as unlikely, is nonetheless a key instigator of the pending talks.
“I think it’s absolutely fair to say that this is our way of ensuring that annexation doesn’t take place,” said Powell. “Now, annexation might not take place anyway, if the city went forward and was unsuccessful, but [a deal] would ensure that annexation would not take place.”
North of 54 and the city are to discuss the notion of permanent cottagers paying an annual municipal fee for fire protection as well as in support of recreation. Seasonal cottagers would pay only for fire service. No financial figures have been mentioned.
Powell said any tentative deal reached with the city would be subject to a final, binding vote by all cottagers.
Other than a prohibition on annexation, Powell said cottagers require that a fire deal be long-term, come at a reasonable cost and provide a deliverable service.
Fontaine said he believes a deal can be reached swiftly, at which point fire protection could be promptly restored to cottage subdivisions.
“Once we come to an agreement, if it’s verbal, whatever, I don’t have to sign contracts,” he said. “Once we are at an understanding...the resulting coverage would be immediate.”
Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen has made the revival of municipal fire protection in cottage country a top priority.
“Every day that we don’t have fire protection is a gamble, and I’m not a gambler,” he said. “I bet on sure things.”
North of 54 representatives met with Fontaine in early July after being approached by Pettersen, who wanted the two sides to try and find common ground.
Powell described the meeting, which also included Mark Kolt, the city’s chief administrative officer, as cordial and professional.
“When we looked at the different things that were being considered, the only thing that we felt as an association that we might be able to get involved with would be in terms of fire protection and possibly some kind of a contribution toward recreation,” said Powell.
Fontaine reiterated that annexation is not his first choice to secure funding support from cottagers.
“I would much prefer a negotiated resolution,” he said.
On July 1, 2013, the city ended its decades-old practice of responding to structural fires in cottage country. The service had been subsidized by Flin Flon taxpayers.
The city had asked each road-accessible cottager to pay $300 a year for the continuation of the service, but cottage association representatives felt that price was steep.
Manitoba Conservation will respond to area cottage fires during the summer season, but its service is nowhere near as timely or extensive as what Flin Flon once provided.
Conservation’s seasonal wildland firefighters will respond to structural fires in cottage areas only when they are available and only to limit the spread of the flames to adjacent buildings and forest.
Unlike their Flin Flon counterparts, Conservation firefighters are not trained in structural fire suppression and will not enter a building or undertake any other activity for which they have not been trained.
Conservation’s response times vary depending on the time of day and year as well as fire alert levels. These firefighters could arrive from Cranberry Portage, Sherridon, The Pas or Wekusko Falls Provincial Park near Snow Lake.
In the event of a fire, Conservation has advised cottagers to call its 24-hour toll-free tip line at 1-800-782-0076.
