“We’re not dying,” he told the assembled guests. “We are a community that’s equal to meeting the needs of the businesses that are existing right now. And if anything, we hope to be a growing community and a growing region.”
In addressing the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce last week, Mayor Cal Huntley was matter-of-fact as he countered the glum assertion that Flin Flon is on the decline.
And good on him for doing so.
For some area residents, that old “sky is falling” mentality – an outlook that has pervaded Flin Flon for the past 88 years – has resurfaced with a vengeance.
“777 mine is due to run out in 2021!” the pessimists pout.
But these cynics seem oblivious to a few key facts.
First, Hudbay pretty much always extends the life of major mines through exploration. I’m no geologist, but that seems quite likely at 777, particularly now that the company can explore-to-own the promising War Baby claim in the middle of the 777 deposit.
Second, Hudbay still has mines at Lalor and Reed that are, from what I can tell, largely staffed by Flin Flon-based workers who have no intention of moving to Snow Lake.
Third, Hudbay’s infrastructure in Flin Flon accepts feed from Lalor and Reed. You can’t just pick up and move that kind of infrastructure and its workforce, even if you wanted to.
Fourth, Hudbay is spending millions upon millions of dollars on the search for ore in the Flin Flon area. If all else fails, it seems conceivable the company could purchase one or more established deposits from junior miners.
Fifth, Hudbay’s workforce is aging. The men and women who work there will need to be replaced by young people who will presumably go on to buy homes, make babies, and so on, as is already happening.
Sixth, and somewhat unrelated, the naysayers bemoan the departure of young people from Flin Flon as if it’s a new phenomenon.
A good number of young people have always left their hometowns for greener pastures. Flin Flon is no exception.
I once read that a typical North American community consists of about half locals and half transplants. When I look around our area, that sounds about right.
Keep context
I’m not trying to downplay the impact a 777 closure would have in the absence of another Flin Flon-centric mine. But, please, let’s keep things in context.
Huntley’s attitude toward the 777 question is measured and reasonable.
“So will they find another mine? I don’t know. They have before. They will again,” he told the chamber. “Can you put all your eggs in that basket? No, but let’s realize we are a mining community and until something dramatically changes…then we are a mining community. And let’s make the best of that and let’s support it and let’s hope they find another mine.”
In other words, Flin Flon is what it is. We can’t control where God stashed away the next big ore find, but we can draw fierce optimism from nearly nine decades of continuous mining success.
I’m certain that no one wants to find another Flin Flon area ore body more than Hudbay. The company simply has too much invested here.
I know some residents lament the loss of a Hudbay that focused everything it had on Flin Flon. It’s true that those days are gone as the company adds (and hopes to add) massive operations in Peru and Arizona.
That’s just the way of modern corporations. It does not mean the distinct infrastructure, skilled workforce and long-time profitability of Flin Flon area operations are now somehow expendable.
That’s why people like Mayor Huntley can be positive in the face of pessimists.
Local Angle runs Fridays.
