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.
ÒItÕs still good old Flin Flon,Ó former resident Robin Gillis told me during the recent Birthday Bash. She hadnÕt been back to her hometown in 20-plus years, but it didnÕt take long for her to regain her sense of community pride. Not to say she didnÕt notice all of the changes. Like many past residents, Ms. Gillis lamented the severe case of population shrinkage that has afflicted Flin Flon in recent decades. Since the early 1970s, Flin Flon has lost in the range of 3,400 people. If you leave out Flin Flon, Sask., weÕre down nearly 1,000 residents just since 1996. (Some of those people moved out to the lake and more or less remain Flin Flonners, but weÕre still talking about a very steep drop-off.) Over the years there have been rumoured developments that were going to supposedly reverse this downward trend. There were the ore bodies that were going to double the mining workforce, or the forestry operations that were going to employ hundreds. None of it happened, as our census tallies so starkly point out. The underlying assumption has been that for Flin Flon, a hefty population boost is the Holy Grail. If only we had more people, just imagine how great we could be! But have we thought through what an influx of hundreds or thousands of new people would mean? Is bigger really better? Flin Flon today, with 5,836 people, offers an uncommonly high standard of living. IÕm not sure I want to see the situation tampered with to any substantial degree. First off, our crime rate is so low that IÕve been called paranoid for locking my door. No society is free of lawlessness, but weÕre probably about as close as can be reasonably expected. Crime is rare not because our people are inherently ÒbetterÓ than those in other places. A lot of it has to do with the simple fact that we are a smaller community. This allows us to be close-knit, making it easier to single out who is doing things they shouldnÕt be doing, in turn deterring such behaviour. This helps prevent crime from gaining a foothold, whether itÕs northern gang members looking to expand or more drug dealers eager to peddle their merchandise. It may even dissuade small-time thieves and vandals who know that in our city, neighbours watch out for one another. How about the cost of living? Right now, Flin Flon offers very reasonably priced homes and apartments. You can afford a great life here on a not-so-great wage. ThatÕs a marvelous trait. Of course that would change if our population ascended. WeÕd be left with more people than places to live, and you donÕt have to be an economist to predict what would happen next. Suddenly life in Flin Flon becomes unaffordable for countless citizens. Suddenly mobile homes, frequently the first home young couples buy, are selling for $190,000 (like in Thompson) instead of $30,000 or $40,000 (like here). Suddenly one of our key attractants over Alberta and other places evaporates. Then there are the intangibles. Right now Flin Flon claims to be a place where everybody knows your name. ItÕs an exaggeration, of course, but there is no doubt that in many ways, we are one big family. Being able to walk through the aisles of a store and exchange hellos with many, if not most, people you see is not an experience everyone enjoys. Would we still have that gift with a larger census number? IÕm not saying that I want Flin Flon to keep shrinking like it has. Indeed this column has called for more hearty economic development efforts and for City Hall to immediately open up new residential lots to retain people. But I basically like Flin Flon the way it is. Several hundred extra people would not alter the impressive fabric of our city, but several thousand would. We donÕt need a drastic population boom. Local Angle runs Fridays.
