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.
Four in 10 leaseholders at Bakers Narrows declare the provincial park as their principle home, provincial data shows. Of the 159 cabin leases the province has granted at Bakers Narrows, 66 _ or 42 per cent _ are identified as the individual's chief residence. It's the first concrete data indicating how many area cottages are used seasonally and how many have become year-round homes. But it's only a partial listing as the province does not keep track of such data for cottage subdivisions outside of provincial parks, such as Schist Lake, Big Island and Sourdough Bay. The City of Flin Flon estimates there are 400 cottages in the region between Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage. It's not clear what percentage of those cottages are year-round homes, but anecdotal evidence suggests the number is substantial and growing. The city is attempting to convince cottagers to pay a yearly fee into municipal coffers to cover fire protection as well as other services many cottagers utilize. But with the possible exception of fire protection, there has been strong resistance from many cottagers who argue that as non-Flin Flonners they cannot be expected to financially support that community. Some cottagers further assert that the shopping they do in Flin Flon is helping the local economy and that their provincial taxes and fees, while not specifically earmarked for Flin Flon, also aide the municipality.
