Flin Flon (pop. 5,185 in 2016 census; 4,982 in Manitoba and 203 in Saskatchewan) is a mining city, located on a correction line on the border of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the majority of the city located within Manitoba. Residents thus travel southwest into Saskatchewan, and northeast into Manitoba. The city is incorporated in, and is jointly administered by, both provinces.
Etymology
The town's name is taken from the lead character in a 1905 paperback novel, The Sunless City by British author J. E. Preston Muddock: "Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, Esq., or, as he was more familiarly known amongst his fellows, 'Flin Flon,' was a gentleman conspicuous for two things-- the smallness of his stature and the largeness of his perception. His origin was lost in the mists of antiquity, but he boasted that he was a descendant of the noble Italian family of the Flonatins..." In the novel, Flonatin pilots a submarine into a bottomless lake where he sails through a hole lined with gold to enter a strange underground world. He finds a strange city ruled by women in which the local currency is tin and the streets are paved with gold. He ultimately re-emerges via a deep crater.
A copy of Muddock's 1905 book was allegedly found and read by prospector Tom Creighton. When Creighton discovered a high-grade exposure of copper, he thought of the book and referred to it as "Flin Flon's hole". The town that developed around the mine then adopted the name. Flin Flon shares the distinction of being named after a character in an adventure novel with Tarzana, California, and Le Plessis-Robinson, France.
The character of "Flinty", as he is locally known, is of such importance to the identity of the city that in 2003, the local Chamber of Commerce commissioned the minting of a $3.00 coin which was considered legal tender amongst locally participating retailers until September 2004 and a $5.00 coin[4] which was in circulation until December 31, 2008.[5] A statue representing Flinty was designed by cartoonist Al Capp and is one of the points of interest of the city. In 1978, the National Film Board of Canada produced the short documentary Canada Vignettes: Flin Flon about the origin of the city's name.[6]
History
Flin Flon was founded in 1927 by Hudbay (at that time called Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co.) to exploit the large local copper and zinc ore resources. In the late 1920s, HBM&S invested in a railway, mine, smelter, and a hydroelectric power plant at Island Falls, Saskatchewan. By 1928, the rail line reached the mine.
The town grew considerably during the 1930s as those impoverished by the Great Depression came to work at the mines. A significant number of farmers abandoned their farms and were among those looking for work. The municipality was incorporated on January 1, 1933, and reached city status in 1970. The city continued to be a mining centre with the development of several mines adding to its industrial base, although its population has been in decline since the 1960s. The last Flin Flon area mine, 777, was closed and decommissioned in 2022 along with the majority of the Hudbay Flin Flon operations, with many workers moving to the Lalor Mine in Snow Lake, MB.[7][8]
With a scenic setting and a number of nearby lakes, Flin Flon is a popular tourist destination.
Geography
Flin Flon straddles the provincial boundary of Manitoba and Saskatchewan with the majority of the city located in Manitoba. The 2016 census reported 4,982 residents in the Manitoba portion and 203 in the Saskatchewan section; the Manitoba portion has a land area of 13.88 km2, while the Saskatchewan portion has a land area of 2.37 km2. Due to the zig-zag nature of the Saskatchewan-Manitoba boundary correction lines, the Saskatchewan section of town lies south of the Manitoba section, not west. Main Street crosses the provincial boundary just south of its intersection with Church Street; Hudson Street crosses the provincial boundary between its intersections with 5 Ave E. and Harrison Street, adopting the new name South Hudson Street at the point of crossing; an undeveloped stretch of Channing Drive briefly crosses into Saskatchewan before reentering Manitoba just west of the city's rural Channing neighbourhood.
For Canada Post purposes, residents in the Saskatchewan portion of the city retain the local Manitoba R8A postal code, and often use a Flin Flon, MB address.[10] For telephone service, however, they are located in Saskatchewan's area code 306 as part of the Creighton telephone exchange, rather than Manitoba's area code 204. However, residents in Saskatchewan may use either Saskatchewan's SaskTel or Manitoba's Bell MTS systems for cellular services.[10] Electrical service is received from
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Manitoba portion of Flin Flon had a population of 4,940 living in 2,280 of its 2,533 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 4,991. With a land area of 13.14 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[33]
Also in the 2021 census, the Saskatchewan portion of Flin Flon had a population of 159 living in 73 of its 100 total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of 203. With a land area of 2.01 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[34]
Transportation
Road
Flin Flon is accessed by Manitoba Provincial Trunk Highway 10, Saskatchewan Highway 106 and Saskatchewan Highway 167. The city also runs a small public bus system.[48]
Air
The city operates Flin Flon Airport, which is located southeast of the city, immediately west of the Bakers Narrows Provincial Park.[49] The airport has a single asphalt runway, and has regular flights to and from Winnipeg through Calm Air. There is also a gravel airstrip in nearby Channing, MB for small aircraft use with a water aerodrome adjacent to it.
Rail
Economy
Main employers
Mining
The economy of Flin Flon was primarily reliant on and still remains largely dependent on base metal production (primarily copper and zinc with lesser gold and silver). Since the late 1910s, approximately 17 mines have operated in the Flin Flon vicinity. The most recent mine, the 777 Mine, closed in June 2022 with decommissioning completed shortly thereafter.[7]
Zinc concentrate (from sphalerite) was produced and processed on-site to refined zinc while copper concentrate (from chalcopyrite) was produced and sold for external copper production. Prior to the smelter closure in 2010, the chalcopyrite concentrate was refined on location.[52] Although processing of any sulphide material usually emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide, the Hudbay plant used a zinc pressure leaching (ZPL) process which greatly reduced emissions.
Marijuana production
Culture
Arts
Flin Flon has an active local arts and culture scene. The Flin Flon Arts Council has been instrumental in building the local arts scene, and has also brought high-quality performers, such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, into the community for special events. The R.H. Channing Auditorium in the Flin Flon Community Hall hosts concerts and theatrical performances, including those produced by the local theatre troupe "Ham Sandwich".
In 2010, the Northern Visual Arts Centre (or NorVA) was established as a studio and gallery space for local visual artists. NorVA frequently hosts workshops, concerts and other community arts-based events.
Every two years, the Flin Flon Community Choir performs a largely extravagant musical production for the community. In 2013, the Flin Flon Community Choir presented Chicago: The Musical, to great acclaim. They presented Les Miserables in 2015, Grease in 2017, and Mamma Mia in 2019. Past performances have included Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, and Bombertown, among many others.
Culture Days, a national festival celebrating arts and culture, is a popular event in Flin Flon. Culture Days is held on the last weekend of September each year. In 2018, Flin Flon ranked second in the country, only following Winnipeg, for the number of free events (including concerts, workshops, artist talks and kids' activities) offered to community members and visitors. Toronto followed Flin Flon with the number of events, ranking third, down from second in 2017.[54]
Media
Newspapers and magazines
Books
Radio
Television
Television in Flin Flon began in June 1962 with the opening of CBC Television station CBWBT channel 10. The station broadcast kine recordings, sent to the transmitter from CBWT Winnipeg. On March 1, 1969, the province-wide microwave system replaced the kine recordings originating at CBWT, giving citizens of Flin Flon access to live television.[57] The repeater (along with Radio-Canada repeater CBWFT-2 channel 3) closed down July 31, 2012, due to the CBC's closure of its rebroadcasters.[58]
- The Reminder – published every Wednesday – Flin Flon's only newspaper
- Northroots Magazine – a bi-monthly glossy, regional publication, northroots.ca published February, April, June, August, October and December. In-flight reading on Calm Air.
Law and government
Municipal
The operations of the City of Flin Flon are administered by the city council, whose members set the policies. The city council consists of a mayor and six councillors who are elected and serve a term of four years. The current council was elected on October 24, 2018, and consists of the following members:
Provincial
Flin Flon is in the southwest corner of the Manitoba provincial electoral district of the same name, and is the only urban centre within the district. The current Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is Tom Lindsey of the NDP. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since 2016.
The Saskatchewan portion of Flin Flon is in the electoral district of Cumberland. This district's current MLA is Jordan McPhail of the NDP. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan since 2024.
Federal
Notable people
- Jared Abrahamson, actor
- Roger Avary, film and television director, screenwriter, and producer
- Ken Baumgartner (born 1966), ice hockey player
- Bobby Clarke (born 1949), ice hockey player
- Caroline Cochrane, 13th Premier of the Northwest Territories
- Kim Davis, hockey player
- Dean Evason (born 1964), hockey coach
- Tom Gilmore (born 1948), hockey player
- Frank Gunston (1933-2016), created first modern knee replacement[63][64]
- Al Hamilton (born 1946), hockey player
See also
- Flin Flon greenstone belt
- Lloydminster
- Texarkana
External links
References
- Mayor & Council retrieved 2017-07-20^
- Manitoba Community Profilies – Flin Flon (Community Overview) retrieved 2007-07-30^
- Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census – Census subdivisions^