The future of the building at 4 Hemlock Dr. remains unclear, five years after the building was emptied.
The Manitoba government has deferred a project that would have seen a 20-unit seniors’ housing complex on the site. Manitoba Housing did not provide a reason for the deferral when asked by The Reminder.
Despite deferring the project, a spokesperson from Manitoba Housing said the organization will continue to explore other options for the site that will provide value to the community.
The fate of the building has been up in the air since it was evacuated in 2012 over safety concerns that were deemed too costly to repair. At the time, the building consisted of 14 low-income units. In 2012 and 2013, the provincial government of the time said that low-income units would be built elsewhere in the city – a plan that never materialized. In 2014, the provincial government said the site would most likely contain seniors’ housing, which had been identified as a priority.
When the PC government took over from the NDP in 2016, it indicated it would follow through with the plan to build seniors’ housing at the site. However, months later the project was listed as ‘under review’.
Mayor Cal Huntley said he was pleased when Manitoba Housing contacted the City last month to initiate a discussion about seniors’ housing options in Flin Flon. The discussion is expected to take place in early December.
“Manitoba Housing approached us through mail about a month ago, saying that even though the project wasn’t a go, they’d like to do something,” said Mayor Cal Huntley.
“I’m very pleased that they have approached us. We were disappointed when the project got cancelled. We certainly believe there’s a need – we have quite a waiting list at the apartments by the aqua centre and at Legion housing. We’re very excited to see what they come up with. We want to see something happen.”
