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.
While the idea of area cottagers paying yearly fees to the City of Flin Flin is controversial, it's not new. Back in 2001, the city council of the day pursued a fee from year-round cottagers who live near the community. They supported a resolution to have the Association of Manitoba Municipalities lobbying group push for provincial legislation to that effect. The legislation, which never materialized, would have required all Manitobans who live year-round in provincial parks, resort areas or unorganized areas (like Schist Lake and Big Island) pay a fee to the nearby municipalities they utilize. The fee would have helped fund municipal services such as ambulances, libraries and recreational programs _ services outlying residents often use. At the time, council stressed it was not trying to extend the boundaries of Flin Flon, as some had been led to believe. Back then, there were an estimated 150 year-round cottagers outside Flin Flon. The number has since grown, but hard data on how many cottagers are seasonal and how many are permanent is hard to come by. The 2001 approach differs from the current council's path of asking cottagers to voluntarily pay a fee or risk being annexed by the city. Council has already pledged to end fire protection for cottage areas on July 1 unless cottagers agree to pay a $300 yearly fee or are close to negotiating such an agreement. While council has the legal right to withdraw fire protection from outside areas, the final say on any annexation attempt rests with the Manitoba government. None of the members of the 2001 council remain with council.
