Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen delivered the following member’s statement in the legislature on Wednesday, June 24:
A small town’s pride often lies in its rich history. In Flin Flon we are lucky enough to have a group that has taken it upon themselves to preserve the heritage and history of our community.
The Flin Flon Heritage Project is a non-profit organization that is run entirely by volunteers. This group is creating an online database of historical documents relating to Flin Flon.
These dedicated volunteers, who even supply their own equipment to keep operating costs low, have been running this project for the past three years.
So far, the online database includes yearbooks for Hapnot Collegiate, issues of local magazines like the Northern Lights, newspapers, photographs of local people, books about Flin Flon and even a digitized version of the archives of Flin Flon, and they haven’t stopped there. The project is always growing in scope and adding new content.
There are currently around 40 people involved as volunteers with the Flin Flon Heritage Project, and they are getting people from across North America involved. Documents about Flin Flon’s early history as a tiny village are coming in from places like California and Nova Scotia.
With this level of involvement from the community, it’s obvious that people think the Flin Flon Heritage Project is accomplishing important work. I completely agree.
This is a fantastic grassroots project that has adopted a democratic process towards writing history. Inviting everyone who has content relating to the history of Flin Flon to submit it means that everyone can participate in the stories. The volunteers have even started making house calls to bring scanning equipment to those who have mobility issues or who cannot bring their documents to the heritage project headquarters.
Without an understanding of our history, we cannot see where we are headed. Without a record of our past, we cannot look back and reflect on the mistakes we have made or the progress we have achieved.
Thank you to all the volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to create this wonderful resource. This is truly the work of engaged and caring citizens.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
