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 new year that residents rang in nine days ago could be one of significant changes for Flin Flon and area. The most consequential among them may be whatever plays out at HBMS, whose current state raises two important questions. The first involves the company's ongoing hiring freeze, fashioned in response to the dramatic downturn in the metals market. A freeze is obviously preferable to layoffs, but in time the result, as HBMS has confirmed, can be the same: fewer jobs. Globally, the mining industry is hurting, and resource-dependent residents Ð which includes all of us Ð can only hope that those predicting a fairly brief downturn are accurate. The other big question is whether the copper smelter, after years of grim assessments, closes. The public sometimes believes that pollution rules are the only hurdle for the smelter, but that's not true. According to HBMS, the smelter has been struggling financially for some time. Last May, parent company CEO Allen Palmiere said shutting down the facility would have a positive impact on the bottom line. Now the timing of the closure is expected to be known by March. Even if by chance the smelter's life is extended through improved economics, the environmental concerns associated with it certainly aren't going away. Ottawa will institute much stricter air pollution rules for smelters in 2015, rules that HBMS says it simply cannot satisfy. The 2015 rules are being enforced by the political party that is arguably the least heavy-handed on the environment, the Conservatives. With pollution and global warming top-of-mind issues for voters, earlier and stricter rules remain a distinct possibility, particularly whenever the government changes hands. Denare Beach Speaking of politics, 2009 promises to be an interesting year in Denare Beach, what with an election slated for the fall. Last summer's big controversy Ð whether to rezone a section of parkland for residential development Ð exposed an emotional divide in the village. On one side are those who view growth and new tax revenue as fundamental; on the other are those who fear the village is losing its "resort town" feel with too many homes and too few places for children to play. Both sides will make their voices heard as these conflicting visions collide at the ballot box in October. While there is no election, it should also be an intriguing year at Flin Flon City Hall. Over the past two years, city council has committed itself to spending millions upon millions on water supply lines, water meters and a new water treatment plant. Council also just dished out almost a million bucks on the new Wallace Avenue, may have to fix or close the Pine Avenue bridge, and now wants to build a new swimming pool. Then there are the initiatives that were budgeted in 2007 and 2008 only never to come to fruition and which, presumably, are still sitting on a backburner somewhere. They include $200,000 to develop a subdivision at the end of Horace Avenue and tens of thousands of dollars for infrastructure mending. There is only so much money to go around and a shrinking number of taxpayers to dig it out of their wallets. Council has some hefty debates ahead, and residents who care about the future direction of the city would be wise to present their views to the decision-makers. Impact Still on the subject of debates, the mess on Parliament Hill could directly impact Flin Flon. Though considered a long shot since Stphane Dion's exodus, the fat lady has still not formally sung on the proposed Liberal-NDP coalition. Accustomed to representation from the opposition benches, Flin Flon would find itself in the unusual position of having an MP in government should the alliance proceed. This would likely bring some initial benefits to the community, but because the notion of a separatist-backed coalition is so unpopular, its birth might very well hand the Conservatives a majority next time around. That would wipe out, for four years at least, whatever clout a New Democratic MP can yield in a minority government. Thus, the cons of a coalition outweigh the pros, at least from our city's perspective. Whatever 2009 brings, Happy New Year to you and yours. Local Angle runs Fridays.
