City council has not taken a position on the notion of an all-weather road to connect Flin Flon and the remote reserve of Pukatawagan.
The concept of the road has been around since at least the 1990s, but it has received more attention of late as an issue in the upcoming provincial election.
Asked about council’s take on the idea, Mayor Cal Huntley said there is no formal stance at this time.
“We haven’t collectively [taken] a position,” he said at council’s Tuesday, April 5 meeting. “We may have some individual personal opinions, but we don’t have a position on that now. I mean, access I’ll agree with. Certainly access is deserved for those communities up there. How that comes [about] and works, we have some thoughts but we don’t have a position on that.”
Added Huntley: “However it’s accessed, it’s going to allow them to access better services and we want to be part of – our view of the future is being a service centre: shopping, health care, all that kind of stuff. Certainly the road would help them access that, and they deserve that, they really do. So hopefully that happens. I’m not sure where it comes or where it goes.”
So if Flin Flon elects an MLA who pushes for the road, would council develop a position?
“Well, we’re certainly going to talk about it because it’s a piece that could certainly lend itself to some significant diversification, or enhance the services we have here by patronage, right?” said Huntley. “So whoever wins, we’re going to talk to, we have to do business with. That’s why we really don’t have a position as a council who should win.”
By-election
Huntley said the date of a civic by-election – Wednesday, June 1 – was chosen independently of council.
“I want to make it clear, because I’ve been approached by several people with regards to the date for the by-election,” he said. “The date was set by the…senior election officer. We left it in her hands. It has nothing to do with any of us around here with regards to the date, and we would encourage anybody that’s interested in civic politics or anything like that to think about putting their name forward.”
The June 1 by-election will fill the vacancy on council created by Leslie Beck’s resignation. Beck is now running for MLA.
In an interview, Huntley said concerns brought to him revolved around the length of time the seat would remain vacant.
Ongoing support
Council voted to contribute $6,344 to the Flin Flon and District Assessment and Referral Service (FFDARS) for the next year.
FFDARS provides services such as counselling, parental support and conflict-resolution programming to employees of its funders.
The City of Flin Flon has long been among those funders, as has Hudbay and other employers in the Flin Flon-Creighton area.
