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.
Jonathon Naylor Editor A re-elected NDP government would expand and redevelop Flin Flon's emergency room and rebuild Highway 10 between the city and Bakers Narrows. That was the pledge from NDP leader Greg Selinger as he visited Flin Flon last Saturday afternoon, Sept. 17, just over two weeks before Manitobans head to the polls. "An ER is the principle entry to the hospital for so many people, especially in off hours," said Selinger. "So it will be redesigned in such a way that it fully integrates with the hospital and meets the priorities of the community and the health providers here." Selinger said updated equipment will also be part of a commitment estimated to be worth at least $10 million. "It's going to take (the) ER and redevelop it according to the requirements of the local community," he said. "And all the key health providers will be involved in the redesign of it." 'Long overdue' Addressing about 30 NDP supporters and staff at the campaign office of Clarence Pettersen, his Flin Flon candidate, Selinger said the upgrades are "long overdue." He predicted the upgraded ER would help Flin Flon retain doctors, long a challenge for the community. "Any time you have better facilities, it makes for a better practise environment for the professional health-care providers," Selinger said. Selinger said if the NDP is re-elected, planning for the project would "start right away to take a look at what's needed." Flanked by Pettersen, Selinger also promised to reconstruct "a crucial stretch of highway for families in Flin Flon" Ð Highway 10 between the community and Bakers Narrows. "Roads are particularly important in communities that are more isolated, communities that don't have other major ways to get around," he said. Selinger said feedback from area residents has indicated this section of highway "could use a little work." "We are committing today to make sure that road gets paved from Bakers Narrows to Flin Flon," he said. See 'Selinge...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 Neither Selinger nor an NDP news release identified the estimated cost of the highway work. He further pledged to upgrade Highway 39 east of the Snow Lake Road and Highway 10 between Wanless and Highway 39. In full campaign mode, Selinger took time to speak about the embattled NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority, which earlier this year underwent an independent review by a provincially appointed panel. "I know there's been some challenges recently that we've worked out, and we're going to work them out and make sure we have good administration," he said, "and make sure that our health-care delivery and our people want to be here and are committed to being here, and that we have the kind of services that you need." Selinger reiterated his support for hydro developments in the northern region. "We're going to build Hydro in the North. Others want to tie it up, put roadblocks on it and stop it in its tracks," he said. "We know that if we build it, we have customers. We have $7 billion of contracts signed. And so when you have a contract to buy your power, why would you not want to build it? Why would you not want to build it so that it has a clean, reliable reputation and will be sustainable for decades to come?" Selinger said hydro dams are costly up front but last upwards of 90 years Ð "and that's guaranteed future prosperity for the North." Criticism He later responded to criticism the NDP government has favoured the two other major northern centres Ð The Pas and Thompson Ð over Flin Flon. "Well, we're changing that. We're changing that as we speak," Selinger said. "Everybody deserves to be treated properly. We don't...say when we spend 10 bucks here, we have to spend 10 bucks there. We say 'what needs to get done?' and then we do it. And then we look at the other community and say 'what needs to get done there?' and we do it. And so we make sure that every time we do something, the resources are appropriate to the challenge in front of us." With his party in a heated province-wide battle with the Progressive Conservatives, Selinger urged supporters not to become complacent. Wearing a Flin Flon Bombers cap, Pettersen took to the microphone to applaud Selinger, who is facing his first election as an incumbent premier. "He wants to make the province the jewel of Canada, which I think it is," said the MLA candidate.
