From spending to partnerships, The Reminder spoke with Flin Flon mayor Cal Huntley about (the rest of) the year ahead.
Reminder: Are you optimistic heading into 2016?
Huntley: Yes. Sometimes when you are so close to the fire, you focus only on the challenges.
What’s not to be optimistic about? We are in the midst of some significant positive changes in our community.
We are looking at a $20-million-plus upgrade to our present hospital and a $20-million-plus upgrade to the road access into our community through Highway 10.
We have the North of 53 Consumers Co-op seriously looking at a new multimillion-dollar store.
The provincial government has committed to a new 20-unit seniors’ housing complex to be complete in 2017 and a $6-million-plus upgrade to the lower-income housing at Aspen Grove.
The Arts Council has moved to the feasibility stage with the North Central Canada Centre of Arts and Environment (NCCCAE), which may be a unique and diverse opportunity for this community and region.
We have formed a regional group to formally look at the Aqua Centre situation and [move] forward.
Top it all off with a remarkable response generated by the 2017 Birthday Party Committee [for another Flin Flon homecoming]. People love to come home, and Flin Flon and area love a good party.
Reminder: What is the biggest challenge facing the City of Flin Flon, in terms of municipal governance, in 2016? What is or will be done to address it?
Huntley: Other than aging infrastructure, a fact of life most communities are facing, the ongoing challenge is to have a stable tax base so we know, going forward, what revenues we can depend on and relate them to the services we need to supply and the work that must continue to be completed.
Ideally we want to see our community grow, but realistically that is a goal for the future. Stability is the immediate task at hand. Add to that access to more provincial and federal funding.
We have one of the best communities in Canada, and that is one of our best-kept secrets. Time to share that with the world.
Reminder: What is the biggest challenge facing Flin Flon as a community, not a municipal government, in 2016?
Huntley: The biggest challenge facing Flin Flon right now, in my opinion, is the same challenge that was facing it when we were incorporated.
We are presently a mining community that rides the rollercoaster of the boom and bust cycles entailed in that industry. You can’t hide from that fact, but it is time we start thinking about changing the conversation a bit and looking at the strengths of the community and region to support a new conversation.
You are starting to see that happen with initiatives such as the [now-defunct] NWMO project and the
North Central Canada
Centre of Arts and Environment (NCCCAE). People and communities are exploring new directions.
Reminder: Last August, you said the city is facing “challenging times money-wise” and mentioned costs associated with public facilities such as the Aqua Centre and Whitney Forum. You added that input the city receives from the community will inform decisions going forward “and they may be tough decisions that we make.” Can you elaborate on why you may face these sorts of tough decisions when the city budget remains level or increases every year? Also, the recreational facilities consume only a small percentage of city spending. Why, when it comes to potential spending reductions, do those facilities always come up in discussion?
Huntley: Good question. I think I can capture the answer fairly succinctly.
Costs continue to climb and facilities and infrastructure continue to age. The nice-to-haves are always the first thing you look at when the financial burden is challenging and usage indicates a trend.
We will continue to evaluate all services and facilities on an ongoing basis to take advantage of trends that may indicate a change.
There are no immediate plans to close any of the facilities we presently are responsible for. In fact, we have accessed some dollars towards a complete upgrade of the Community Hall kitchen, which is something that has been on the “backburner” for quite a while.
Reminder: What do you expect we will see in the 2016 city budget?
Huntley: It’s a work in progress at this time, but my personal opinion is that there will be no surprises.
Reminder: Anything else worth mentioning about the year ahead?
Huntley: Flin Flon is a unique community. The quality of life here is something worth fighting for, but we can’t do it alone.
It is imperative in moving forward that we start dealing with opportunities and concerns regionally. The NWMO initiative started by Creighton is a perfect example of this.
I would hope this time next year we have formalized some of those relationships with our neighbouring communities of Creighton, Denare Beach and the surrounding area. We are partners with the same goal: a vibrant, healthy region and destination of choice to live, work and visit.
Going forward, something that doesn’t get mentioned often is the group of people who have committed four years of their lives to the betterment of our community, my fellow councillors.
We may not always agree, but I’ve always believed debate leads to better decisions. I look forward to my next three years with their support. If there is one thing I could comfortably predict is that 2016 will be busier than 2015.
