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.
Residents must lend a hand to the City and law enforcement if this latest wave of vandalism is to subside, Mayor Dennis Ballard said Tuesday. "Whatever we do is going to be a community effort," he said at Tuesday's Council meeting. "If people say, 'City Council handle it' or 'The police handle it,' it doesn't happen that way. It's going to have to be a community effort, but the community then needs the leadership, and that's what we are here to provide." Councillor Cal Huntley encouraged the public to buy into that philosophy. "We need to get a handle on it. We can't afford to let this keep happening to our community," he said. "I really think it's going to take... people in the community with watchful eyes, and when they see something to actually report it, because obviously, the police aren't going to be everywhere all the time." Councillor Huntley encouraged anyone with information on local vandalism to come forward, saying "it's very, very seldom that (vandalism) happens that somebody doesn't see." Vandalism appears to have been on the rise in recent months, with incidents of destruction on Main Street, as well as at Flinty's Boardwalk and the local schools, being reported. "I think it's getting stupid," said the mayor of the vandalism. "It's a type of crime I never did understand. Like I always say, when I was younger, I think I did pretty near everything, but I never did that. It just didn't make any sense." Other matters In another matter, Council reviewed a letter expressing concern that issues referred by the councillors to the Committee of the Whole rarely seem to resurface in public. Matters turned over to the Committee of the Whole are discussed by the mayor and councillors at special meetings held after regular Council meetings. The committee meetings take place in a separate meeting room at City Hall but are open to the public. The author of the letter compared the committee to a "black hole," writing that "the information goes in, but in most cases you never hear about it again." The resident mentioned a handful of issues, such as a request for a smoking ban in Flin Flon, that have been referred to the committee but haven't been mentioned at a Council meeting since. "How are we, the public, supposed to know how issues are handled if there is no feedback from Committee of the Whole?" read the letter. Mayor Ballard said the letter made some points that warrant further investigation and added that he and Municipal Administrator Larry Fancy will formulate a response. Councillor Nazir Ahmad mentioned that there is sometimes nothing to report on certain issues referred to the Committee of the Whole because discussion may be ongoing and unresolved. Councillor Huntley commented that Committee of the Whole meetings are held outside the Council Chamber because the separate meeting room is a "more suitable venue" to deal with "delicate issues." Perhaps ironically, the resident's letter was referred to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion. Council also heard from a resident who feels it's unfair that she must purchase bus passes in order to send her two daughters to Hapnot Collegiate. "I believe that we should not have to pay at all for students to get to school by bus," wrote the parent. "If that's not possible, then it should at least be made affordable." The woman lamented that she has to pay "$66 per month" to ensure her children get to high school, and added that other people share her concern. Councillor Huntley and Mayor Ballard pointed out this concern is for the Flin Flon School Division, not the City, to deal with. On another topic, Councillor Tom Therien mentioned that snowmobile season is fast approaching and reminded snowmobilers that there are designated routes within the City to get to and from trails. "Please remember to observe and respect people and their property," he said, adding that trail maps are available at City Hall. A recap of other matters from the Council meeting: Council passed a motion to donate $500 to this year's Operation Red Nose, and to allow volunteers with the service to use the City Hall boardroom as a headquarters. The service, spearheaded by the Rotary Club, allows residents who have been drinking or otherwise feel unfit to drive to receive a ride home in their own vehicles. Council voted to purchase a $50 wreath to lay at the upcoming Remembrance Day service at the R.H. Channing Auditorium. Council passed a motion to purchase a half-page ad in the 2003 Christmas special in The Reminder. Council voted to donate $150 to the Manitoba Emergency Assistance Association for their patrol in the community this Halloween, and to supply gas for four vehicles that will be used.
