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.
The Manitoba government is now firmly involved in efforts to realize a funding agreement between area cottagers and the City of Flin Flon. But as was the case when the city and the cottage association were still holding meetings on their own, there is no guarantee of success. 'The province remains committed to working with area cottage associations to establish agreements for fire protection and other services,' provincial spokesperson Matthew Williamson told The Reminder, 'in a similar manner to arrangements developed in conjunction with RMs (rural municipalities) in other areas of the province.' Williamson said the province facilitated a recent meeting on the cottage issue between city officials and representatives from the two relevant provincial departments, Manitoba Conservation and Aboriginal and Northern Affairs. 'Next steps are to determine which services cottagers want and use, and whether a service agreement can be worked out,' Williamson said. 'On fire services in particular, Flin Flon is not obligated to provide fire services outside of its boundaries free of charge. If cottagers want fire services, a service agreement with a provider is the normal mechanism. Other services may be covered through non-resident service fees.' See 'Discus...' on pg. Continued from pg. In comments at public hearing last week, Mayor George Fontaine revealed that provincial reps would be discussing the current situation with cottage area residents. Mayor Fontaine was also critical of the province for 'encouraging outside flow' of residents by opening up cottage lots while failing to give the city 'any kind of a mechanism to survive under.' But Williamson defended the NDP government's policy on cottage lots. That policy includes regular lot draws that began in 2004, by which time there was already a significant number of year-round cottagers outside Flin Flon. 'The provincial cottaging program encouraged development throughout the province,' Williamson said. 'Under the (current) program, approximately 1,392 cottage lots have been made available. Of this total, 49 lots were located in the Flin Flon area. 'The cottaging program has provided opportunities to Manitobans to own their own cottage while at the same time providing benefits to local communities from construction and ongoing spinoffs for local businesses.' Figures provided to the city by the province indicate there are 363 cottages in the Flin Flon area. City officials have put the number of actual cottagers at close to 1,000. Annex Mayor Fontaine continues to speak of potential efforts to annex cottage subdivisions near Flin Flon. Williamson said Flin Flon has the authority to apply for annexation under The Municipal Act. 'The application must include such information as the areas proposed for annexation, a plan for consultation with citizens and/or a report on any consultation to date, both in Flin Flon and the affected areas outside of Flin Flon,' he noted. 'It would also include implications for servicing and taxes.' In the event of an annexation application, Williamson said the Manitoba Municipal Board, a quasi-judicial tribunal, would review the information and hold a public hearing. 'The municipal board takes a number of issues into account, including logical service provision for the area, the concerns of property owners and tax implications,' he said. After digesting all of the pertinent data and opinions, the board would make a 'yea or nay' recommendation to the Minister of Local Government, a position currently held by southern MLA Ron Lemieux. Although Lemieux technically has the final word himself, it is unlikely he would make a decision that goes against the wishes of the government he serves. In other words, the decision is unlikely to be divorced from political considerations. At last week's hearing, held to discuss the city's proposed tax hike for low-end homes, Mayor Fontaine made some of his most candid statements yet on the cottage issue. He made it clear that an annexation attempt is still an option 'even if it's uncomfortable for people' and there is no guarantee it will succeed. To date, talks between the city and the area cottage association have failed to make much headway. On July 1, the city ended its years-old practice of sending firefighters to cabin blazes after the cottage association rejected the city's request for a $300 annual fee for every road-accessible cabin. Prior to that, cottagers collectively refused the city's request for an annual 'service fee' of $882 that would have seen year-round cabin residents help directly fund a range of municipal services. However, it is now known that the cottage association reps with whom the city discussed these issues lacked the legal authority to approve or disapprove any funding deal.
