Next month, Flin Flonners and Creightonites will head to the polls to vote for candidates for municipal council.
Flin Flon will hold a general election, with spots open for six councillors and a mayor to be appointed to seats in council chambers.
Creighton will hold a byelection, which will see one person appointed to an empty spot on council.
Earlier this month, it seemed no one was up to the task of taking the empty council chair in Creighton, but another call for nominees saw six names tossed into the ring. One candidate has withdrawn, which means five Creighton residents will run for the empty seat.
In Flin Flon, at least four of seven sitting members of council have confirmed they will seek re-election.
There are also new faces who have filed their papers and will seek a seat in council chambers - The Reminder’s deadline falls before the deadline for candidates to file papers, so exact numbers are not yet known. See next week’s issue for more information on who has entered the race.
With papers filed and local candidates vying for your vote, it’s time for Flin Flonners and Creightonites to begin considering how they want their communities to look and what they want their communities to become over the next several years.
The area could see major and lasting change over the next four years. Hudbay says 777 Mine will close by the end of 2021, while the Flin Flon area has just received a new tourism brand. The branding process has proven to bring success to other areas of the province, and with the right execution, Flin Flon could certainly see an upswing of out-of-town visitors and a coinciding improvement to our economy. Cannabis will be legal creating new business opportunities and perhaps challenges that remain to be seen, and the area’s population will continue to age. The people sitting in council seats will have important and potentially difficult decisions to make for the future of our communities.
The success and continued improvement of our area depends largely on the attitudes and priorities of municipal leaders, who are elected by you to represent you, the constituents. Civic engagement is always encouraged, but if there is ever a time to pay attention and decide who will best represent your interests at a municipal level, it’s now, as election campaigns gear up.
Take the time to learn about your candidates. Talk to them. Ask questions. Learn more about who they are and what their vision for the future is.
And then, of course, head to the ballot box and vote.
