Flin Flon area residents generally have a lot of pride in their community.
But confidence? Well, that can be another story.
A few weeks ago, a reader suggested that I write an article about the seemingly high number of homes for sale throughout Flin Flon and area.
It was, to his interpretation, corroboration that after 80-plus years, Flin Flon was finally “dying,” that people “want the hell out.”
I did write the article, speaking with folks in the know both on and off the record. You can judge the situation for yourself (the piece starts on today’s front page), but my conclusion is that there is no evidence of a mass exodus of people from our area.
Instead, we are seeing people who want to move to the lake, downsize their home in old age and upgrade their home in middle age.
We are seeing homeowners pass on and recent retirees getting ready to move back home, wherever that may be for them, after completing their careers in Flin Flon.
None of these trends is new. Some of them may be cause for concern, yes, but we have witnessed them all before, for many years, and will continue to see them in perpetuity.
Yet that hasn’t stopped residents with shaky confidence in our community from going all “the sky is falling!” on us or worrying that something must be amiss at our primary employer.
I’ll admit it. I too was a bit worried when I first noticed all of those “For Sale” signs in yards across our area.
But if there’s one thing that being a reporter teaches you, it is this: never assume. Ever. Because you can be totally wrong. And often are. Rarely are things black and white.
I am not saying we shouldn’t be troubled when people who live in our area for a time, especially a long time, decide to leave because it’s no longer for them.
But let’s put it in perspective. People are always moving away. New people are always moving in. Such is the cycle of life for all communities on earth. Why would we be different?
The same reader who told me that people “want the hell out” of Flin Flon also spoke of a lifelong Flin Flonner who was now moving out west at a rather advanced age.
For my reader, this was proof something must be wrong with Flin Flon. Are we too boring? Too remote? Too overtaxed?
Of course Flin Flon needs to do everything it can to entice people to move here and stay here. That goes without saying.
But again, the reality is that people will always be coming and going. We aren’t entitled to anyone’s long-term residency. Even people who love Flin Flon will occasionally want a taste of life somewhere else for the short time we all have on this earth.
So, no, the sky is not falling on Flin Flon and area. On the contrary, there are many reasons to believe we have a very bright future.
Local Angle runs Fridays.
