Financially ailing Manitoba town desperate for help

Thetown of Powerview-Pine Falls has been struggling since Tembecshuttereditspaper mill two years ago, throwing some 250 people out of work

The provincesays it will meet with the Powerview-Pine Falls council to look at how it can help.

Ron Lemieux, the minister responsible for local government, says he hopes to meet later this month.

"We would want to ensure that the citizens of that community have local councillors and elected people that they put in place to look after their needs and their wants," Lemieuxtold CBC News.

Lemieux said he hopes the town's situation has not reached the point in which a provincial administrator is necessary.

"To have someone appointed as administrator is in really severe situations where communities are not solvent and financially they are essentially bankrupt," he said.

"Financially they're relatively stable, at least at this point but they see some upcoming costs into the future that made them extremely nervous."

Mass resignation delayed

In its statement, the town says Lemieux's upcoming visit to the community will delay the mass resignation of its council.

According to the town, councillors had told the ministerthey would resign en masse on Oct. 9 in their bid to forcethe province into appointing an administrator.

"Council believes they have no other alternative but to go the 'lack of quorum' route to force the province's hand ie: mass resignation," the town's statement reads in part.

"Council does not view this action as 'quitting.' They believe this is an all out effort on their part to get some help."

AfterPowerviewand Pine Falls amalgamated in 2005, the town's future initially looked promising until theTembecmill was shut down.

"The debt load started to skyrocket [$2 million plus], while assessments nose dived. The burden of tax shifted from the industry to the residents of Pine Falls," the town's statement reads in part.

Council tried earlier this year to talk about amalgamating with the Rural Municipality of Alexander, but that municipality wasn't interested.

Wayne Ewasko, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Lac du Bonnet, said it's about time the NDP government offers Powerview-Pine Falls a helping hand.

"We've been voicing our opinions for quite some time, and it's time they step up and help out," he said.

'You got to do something,' says resident

Many Powerview-Pine Falls residents who spoke to CBC News about the situation were a little surprised to hear their council had invited the province to take over.

However, someresidentsalso pointed out thatdesperate times call for desperate measures.

"Well, what do you do when there's no money, you know? You got to do something," said Alain Desloges.

"Maybe they do need some help from the government. I don't know."

Gord Cure, whohas lived in the town for 40 years,said so far he hasnt seen the province step in to help.

Diddly squat. Nothing. Thats what I would say. I havent seen nothing that it would appear to me that they did [help the town.] They never helped us whatsoever, he said.

"They give $85 million to the Winnipeg stadium, so what the heck? Why not give afew bucks to our town?"