Residents of the Flin Flon region are accustomed to the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border posing all sorts of challenges.
Folks in Flin Flon, Saskatchewan, for instance, pay municipal taxes to the City of Flin Flon without the benefit of the generous property tax rebate offered to Manitoba homeowners.
Creighton faces something of a competitive disadvantage with hydro rates that are notably higher than those of Flin Flon even though its electricity comes from the same place.
And local tourism-promoting agencies have maligned the need for visiting anglers to purchase two provincial fishing licenses, lest they mistakenly cross an imaginary line while out on the lake.
Problematic
But nowhere is the provincial border more problematic than when it comes to the requirement for Creighton RCMP to police Sturgeon Landing.
Sturgeon Landing is 123 km away from Creighton. Depending on speeds and road conditions, officers must travel for 90 minutes or more, mostly in Manitoba, to reach the tiny reserve.
In emergency situations, the RCMP can deploy officers from either Cranberry Portage (70 km away) or The Pas (95 km away) until officers from Creighton arrive.
The argument from the RCMP is that it has a duty to police Sturgeon Landing from the nearest Saskatchewan detachment, and that Creighton is that detachment.
But the arrangement makes no sense for anyone. Sturgeon Landing is arguably underserved by the Mounties, Creighton sees its resources diverted and extra potentially high-speed traffic is added to Highway 10.
The February arrest of accused murderer Jonas Budd rightly raised new questions around Creighton RCMP’s obligation to Sturgeon Landing.
Sgt. Mark Svaren of the Creighton RCMP told town council this spring that the standoff and arrest involving Budd “definitely took a lot of man hours.”
When Ald. Don Aasen asked whether policing Sturgeon Landing was “still stretching things out for the Creighton detachment,” Svaren said “it is.”
“And that’s certainly above my pay grade as far as any decision making,” Svaren continued.
“But I’m hoping that people can really take a step back and have a look at that and try and figure out what’s best for their community as much as anything.”
Concerned
Town council has long been concerned about Creighton-based officers having to police Sturgeon Landing.
“It’s quite a distance they have to travel to get to Sturgeon Landing,” Mayor Bruce Fidler has said. “Then that’s taking away constables or officers in our community for that length of time.”
The Reminder first detailed concerns about the Creighton RCMP’s duty to Sturgeon Landing last September.
At that time, the Saskatchewan government gave no indication it would discuss a deal with Manitoba to have Sturgeon Landing policed by Mounties who are closer by.
Yet it is possible for provinces to negotiate cross-border policing agreements where feasible. Such a deal is already in place for Onion Lake, a reserve that straddles the Saskatchewan-Alberta border.
It’s time for all parties involved – the provinces, the RCMP and other stakeholders – to reach a suitable cross-border agreement for Sturgeon Landing.
The people of Sturgeon Landing – and Creighton – deserve nothing less.
