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 uestions of fairness are being raised with word that Flin Flon has only a small fraction of the provincial government jobs based in northern Manitoba's three major centres. Government data shows The Pas, Thompson and Flin Flon together have 853 provincial positions, with just 54 _ or six per cent _ in the latter community. 'The view from within the perimetre (surrounding Winnipeg) seems to be that we almost don't exist and that we're just taken for granted,' said Tom Heine, a concerned Flin Flon resident. 'That's a big concern to me because we do send a lot of tax money down south and certainly we have supported the NDP for so long that you would think that there would be a more concerted effort to send jobs our way.' Heine raised concerns over provincial jobs leaving Flin Flon when he was a Liberal MLA candidate in the 2011 provincial election, which he lost to New Democrat Clarence Pettersen. See 'Serve...' on pg. 3 Continued from pg. 1 A provincial spokesperson said The Pas and Thompson have more jobs because they serve larger regions with higher populations compared to Flin Flon. 'The Pas also serves a larger population within its immediate vicinity, including neighbouring OCN (Opaskwayak Cree Nation) and (the RM of) Kelsey,' the spokesperson said in an e-mail to The Reminder. That said, The Pas has almost seven times as many provincial jobs as does Flin Flon, 365 compared to 54. But the spokesperson said 'the bulk' of that difference can be attributed to the correctional centre in the Pas, which alone accounts for 194 provincial jobs. Figures provided by the province show that as of July 2012, the NDP budgeted 434 positions in Thompson, 365 in The Pas and 54 in Flin Flon. Without factoring in the surrounding regions, Flin Flon has 23 per cent of the total population of those three communities and six per cent of the provincial jobs. The Pas also has 23 per cent of the combined population but has 43 per cent of the jobs. Thompson, with 54 per cent of the population, has 51 per cent of the jobs. Of the 854 provincial jobs in the three communities, 331 (39 per cent) are term, casual or seasonal positions. In Flin Flon, 21 of 54 jobs (39 per cent) are term, casual or seasonal jobs. In The Pas it's 147 of 218 (40 per cent) and in Thompson it's 163 of 434 (38 per cent). Heine, a geologist for the Manitoba government, worries the NDP will move provincial jobs out of Flin Flon, including his own when he decides to retire. He sees other disparities in how the province treats Flin Flon, mentioning the tens of millions of dollars that went to UCN facilities in The Pas and Thompson. Flin Flon's new UCN Regional Centre and Northern Manitoba Mining Academy, by contrast, cost about $4.3 million, including contributions from the federal, provincial and municipal governments. Most of Flin Flon's provincial employees are headquartered in the Barrow Provincial Building, colloquially known as 'Red Square' because of its shape and colour, with a few based out of the Employment Manitoba Office. Both buildings are on Main Street.
