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 Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach have seen yet another population decline, collectively losing 364 citizens between 2006 and 2011, the latest census shows. The combined population of the three communities now stands at 7,759, or 4.5 per cent below the 8,123 recorded five years prior. As the largest of the three communities, Flin Flon _ the Manitoba and Saskatchewan portions combined _ was hit the hardest by the decline, down by 244 residents (4.2 per cent) to 5,592. 'As a council we've anticipated it going down but...we thought it was going to go down more,' said Coun. Ken Pawlachuk after reviewing the data, released Wednesday morning by Statistics Canada. 'We'll have to live with what we have.' Across the border, Creighton fared far better, losing just four residents (0.3 per cent) to bring its population, down to 1,498. The census found that Denare Beach lost 116 residents (15 per cent), down to 669 people, a stat that shocked Mayor Carl Lentowicz. 'Hard to believe' 'That's hard to believe,' he said. Lentowicz said deaths may have impacted the village population, but he has also seen 'a lot of young families' move to the community. With so many Denare Beach residents living there only in the summer, it is possible census takers had a difficult time pinning down an accurate number. But Lentowicz said the village fully cooperated with Statistics Canada to help them glean a reliable accounting. Back in Flin Flon, Pawlachuk pinpoints HBMS downsizing as the main factor behind the decline. 'There's other businesses that rely on HBMS that have to downsize accordingly, so that's where it all fits in, I think,' he added. Another likely factor Pawlachuk did not mention is the continued movement of residents out of Flin Flon and into the surrounding cottage subdivisions. Pinning down dependable census figures for those subdivisions is difficult, but anecdotal evidence suggests the lake area population is on the rise as more lots are opened up and developed. Pawlachuk sees new seniors housing as vital in helping to keep more people in Flin Flon rather than moving to the lake, Creighton or out of the area altogether. See 'There...' on pg. 10 Continued from pg. 1 He also wants to capitalize on the new mines that will or may open up in the Snow Lake-Flin Flon region. 'There are services that we can provide that would benefit us,' said Pawlachuk. 'It's an ongoing conversation with (council), what can we do to help provide services so that people want to live here?' Elsewhere in the region, Snow Lake's population dropped by 114 people (13.6 per cent) to 723, while Cranberry Portage went down 87 (13.2 per cent) to 572. Pelican Narrows _ the reserve and village sections combined _ shot up by 762 (39 per cent), to 2,703 people. Deschambault Lake also saw a major spike, rising by 460 (39 per cent) to 1,641 residents. Sandy Bay, also with the reserve and village portions combined, rose by 49 (1.3 per cent) to 3,742 people. The Pas lost 76 residents (1.4 per cent) to bring its population to 5,513. Its neighbouring community of Opaskwayak Cree Nation grew by 136 (5.3 per cent), up to 2,714 people. The largest community in northern Manitoba, Thompson lost 617 residents (4.6 per cent), down to 12,829 people. To no one's surprise, Pukatawagan continued its rapid growth. The northern reserve rose by 348 (23.5 per cent) to 1,826 people. Manitoba's overall population shot up 5.2 per cent to 1,208,268 people in 2011. Saskatchewan grew by 6.7 per cent to 1,033,381. The national population reached 33,476,688, consisting of: Ontario - 12,851,821 Quebec - 7,903,001 British Columbia - 4,400,057 Alberta - 3,645,257 Manitoba - 1,208,268 Saskatchewan - 1,033,381 Nova Scotia - 921,727 New Brunswick - 751,171 Newfoundland and Labrador - 514,536 Prince Edward Island - 140,204 Northwest Territories - 41,462 Yukon - 33,897 Nunavut - 31,906
