Complications the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border brings local businesses and residents were a hot topic during the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce’s Nov. 28 meeting.
The conversation was sparked by correspondence from the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, which asked members to contribute questions to be answered by Saskatchewan Party leadership hopefuls at a panel discussion later this month.
One suggestion was asking if leadership contenders have a plan to ease business in northern Saskatchewan and to simplify cross-border relations.
Past president Dianne Russell discussed the recent meeting between local business leaders and the Communities Economic Development Fund (CEDF), which broached the issue of whether funds from CEDF – a northern Manitoba-based Crown corporation – could provide loans for northern Saskatchewan fishing operations.
For Russell, the discussion was part of a larger pattern of regional disconnect, where Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach lose some advantage in terms of groups, funds and grants for both provinces.
“I think sometimes we easily get forgotten, unless there’s a fire on our highway or something,” said Russell, who chaired the meeting in place of president Karen MacKinnon, who was attending the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) conference in Brandon.
“I think the challenge is to consistently bring it up. The two provinces have their separate budgets, separate plans and they don’t worry about this border town.”
Russell cited an ongoing struggle with telecommunications companies to get improvements to internet and cell phone service in the Flin Flon area.
“That was a long time ago, and they keep saying the issue is being moved forward. They keep saying there’s just not enough people here. They just don’t pay attention because we’re small,” said Russell.
“Creighton and Denare Beach on their own are even smaller, so you’d have a Premier from Saskatchewan thinking about that group of people. The number is just low. If you throw in PBCN, it starts to grow, but it’s still not the kind of big number that they look for.”
Issues with the provincial border don’t just affect businesses.
Residents of Flin Flon, Sask. are not able to take advantage of certain Manitoba services, including tax reductions for medical transport and property tax rebates. In addition, residents of Flin Flon, Sask., are often employed by Manitoba-based companies and use Manitoba services, but face issues registering for services when using documentation from both provinces.
Guy Rideout, a city councillor for Flin Flon, lives in Flin Flon, Sask., just south of where the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border cuts the community.
Rideout said that cross-border communication could help the enclave’s 203 residents.
“I know it’s been discussed at council,” said Rideout.
“I always say there’s an invisible wall between us, Flin Flon and Creighton. It’s time for it to disappear – it’s too much.”
Myrna Ewing, manager of the SIIT Work Prep Centre in Creighton, added that certain job programs in Manitoba are not available for Creighton residents, causing confusion for applicants and leaving many users unable to take advantage of Manitoba programs.
Ewing discussed the Manitoba Career Trek program, a non-profit program that provides career planning and training for young people.
“When I looked into it, I wished Saskatchewan had something like it,” said Ewing.
The program provides career options to kids who may not otherwise have access to certain fields.
“These are for families who may not have that exposure. They can participate and it broadens their opportunities. I wish they’d have it on the reserves, to be honest. It sounds very, very exciting,” said Ewing.
“I found out that between the high school and the elementary school in Pelican Narrows, there’s about a thousand students in those two schools. That doesn’t include Sandy Bay or Deschambault. The population is there, but the lack of resources and services doesn’t help.”
A firm solution for bridging the gap is still unknown, but chamber members said that both Manitoba and Saskatchewan-based businesses questioning current border policies could be a first step.
“Being united on both fronts probably would be a very good thing for groups to see,” said chamber member Cathy Lofgren. “If we show we’ve taken down the walls, maybe they will follow.”
“If we’re kind of noisy…we don’t need a lot of numbers to be noisy,” said Russell.
