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.
This week instead of giving the citizens of Flin Flon and area a brief list of files and occurrences, I would like to address some specific concerns which have been raised by individuals in the City of Flin Flon. First, as spring is slowly approaching and the ice fishing season is upon us, snowmobiles are everywhere. Along with the snowmobiles come the annual complaints of noisy and speeding sleds. I would like to remind the large number of snowmobile enthusiasts, the majority who are safe and considerate operators, that the City of Flin Flon is on your side. The City has designated many of our streets as snowmobile accessible, enabling everyone to drive their machines from their residences to wherever. Some of the operators (not just young people either) on occasion operate their sleds at excessive speeds in town. With the speed comes increased noise levels, and increased levels of concern and eventually complaints to the City and the police. This is just a reminder that snowmobiles are every bit as dangerous as other types of motor vehicles. Just the same if inexperienced and careless operators are confronted with a small child running out onto the road, a disaster could happen. No less important is the nuisance factor with the sleds being operated during the late hours of the day. Please be courteous to your neighbours. The RCMP would encourage everyone who enjoys snowmobiling to play safe because even small accidents are both expensive and dangerous. Secondly, I wish to address the matter of house parties. Recently the RCMP have been receiving more and more complaints of noisy house parties in the late evening hours and early morning hours. The City of Flin Flon has a bylaw which prohibits the noisy parties and, where in the past homeowners were simply asked to turn down the noise, the police will now be charging the homeowners responsible for the parties. This in turn will require a mandatory court appearance and fines up to $1,000. A related issue is, if you are renting your home, your landlord may be charged as the homeowner. This may result in noisy tenants being evicted from their residence. If you are one of the party animals in Flin Flon, you have been warned. Finally, I would like to address the matter of animal control (not party animal: see above), in particular the matter of dogs, and more specifically stray or vicious dogs. Flin Flon has an animal control officer who has been charged with the duties of collecting both the strays and the vicious. Both the City and the RCMP will enlist the help of the local SPCA when dealing with abandoned or stray animals. Pet owners are encouraged to look after their animals, they rely on their owners for food and shelter. In return they give love and companionship. Problem animals are usually the result of neglect of improper care. If you have any questions about what to do with a problem animal, contact the City or RCMP.
