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.
"Measure twice, cut once" is the age-old rule guiding carpenters, but it also served as a metaphor for Flin Flon City Council this week. Council decided to reconsider how other potential sites measure up before cutting a deal to allow the Flin Flon, Creighton and Area SPCA to build an animal shelter near McKeen Avenue. It was a prudent move considering how high emotions are running on this difficult issue. Unfortunately, it seems that at this stage of the game, council is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't. Based on the intensity of Tuesday's council meeting, attended by over 50 proponents and opponents of the McKeen location, it's clear that there are a lot of hurt feelings on both sides of this divide. What no one denies is that the SPCA must have a shelter to house the many homeless dogs and cats that our communities have irresponsibly spawned. It's an issue not only of compassion, but also of public health given the diseases that strays and abandoned animals can carry. The location for such a facility? There's the rub. Many SPCA representatives feel that the McKeen site is the perfect fit for their ambitions. To back up their position, they point to things like sewer and water access, proximity to the populace they serve and the ability to access funds in grant-rich Manitoba. Several nearby residents, on the other hand, have qualms ranging from an influx of abandoned animals to a decline in property values. Many of their concerns have been addressed, though not necessarily to their satisfaction. Regardless of how much merit one puts in their fears, they are understandable. If an animal shelter comes to the neighbourhood, any problems - foreseen or unforeseen, and despite the best efforts of everyone involved - may be difficult or impossible to negate. It's a contentious matter, to be sure, but one that should not pit the neighbourhood against the SPCA, or vice-versa. Once this debate reached the corridors of City Hall, the project's fate became the responsibility of one group and one group alone: city council. Those on opposite aisles of this argument have made their voices heard loud and clear within the system. From here on in, any sparks that may fly between opponents and proponents are uncalled for. As the men and women we have entrusted to make these tough decisions, our city councillors are the ones who must assume all credit or blame for what ensues - whether the McKeen location gets the green light or not. Local Angle runs Fridays.
