A tale of 2 Flin Flons: How the Manitoba-Sask. border complicates life for some residents of the northern city

Lauren Scott · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Split by a provincial border, immoderate residents successful the Saskatchewan broadside of Flin Flon accidental they consciousness similar they are surviving successful a "no man's land" fraught with challenges that their neighbours connected the Manitoba broadside don't adjacent person to consider.

Most of the astir 5,000 radical surviving successful Flin Flon — astir 630 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg — are Manitoba residents. They thrust vehicles with Manitoba licence plates and clasp Manitoba wellness cards. 

But astir 200 households successful the confederate portion of the metropolis person cars with Saskatchewan plates parked retired front. For these Flin Flonners, their addresses marque accessing immoderate services frustrating. 

Guy Rideout grew up connected Saskatchewan Avenue successful Flin Flon, Man., but bought a small location connected the Saskatchewan broadside of the metropolis decades ago. After conscionable a fewer months surviving there, helium started referring to his caller location arsenic "no man's land." 

"You bash belong, but you're not truly definite what portion of the satellite you beryllium to," Rideout said. 

Guy Rideout, a nonmigratory of Flin Flon, Sask., says surviving connected the different broadside of the borderline with Manitoba has made beingness much complicated. (Travis Golby/CBC)

He carries a Saskatchewan wellness paper and driver's licence and has a Saskatchewan telephone number. He pays provincial taxes to that province, but his municipal taxes spell to Flin Flon, Man. He has a Manitoba postal codification and gets his energy from Manitoba Hydro. 

Rideout said residents connected the Saskatchewan broadside are utilized to the "glitches" and "annoyance" of straddling the provincial border. But this summer's wildfires turned regular vexation into a "gong show," helium said.

Residents connected some sides of the bluish metropolis were forced to permission location for a month, aft a mandatory evacuation bid was issued connected May 28.

Like galore different Flin Flonners, Rideout evacuated to The Pas, Man., but waited for weeks to person assistance from the Red Cross, which oversaw supports for evacuees during Manitoba's authorities of emergency. 

He said helium couldn't get enactment unless helium said helium was from Flin Flon, Man. 

"It was astir a week earlier we got home, I yet got immoderate assistance by conscionable being persistent," helium said.  "It was precise annoying." 

In a statement, the Red Cross said wildfire evacuees whose superior residence was Flin Flon, Sask., were "determined eligible by the state of Manitoba to person fiscal assistance distributed by the Red Cross," and the enactment "worked intimately with the province of Manitoba to establish eligibility and distribute financial assistance as rapidly arsenic possible."

But Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine, who is simply a dual-province mayor, said Manitoba and Saskatchewan indispensable enactment amended unneurotic during emergencies.

"Things similar fire, things similar emergencies, they're not restricted by borders," helium said.

The quirks of surviving 'in between'

Mark Tetoff has lived successful Flin Flon, Sask., for astir 30 years, parking his conveyance — with a Saskatchewan licence sheet — extracurricular a location with a Manitoba postal code. 

The metropolis has ever felt similar "one community," helium said, but determination are sometimes complications.

Flin Flon, Sask., nonmigratory Mark Tetoff carries a Saskatchewan driver's licence but lives successful a location with a Manitoba postal code. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Back successful 2018, erstwhile his woman was successful Saskatoon to bargain a caller car, the dealership's machine strategy kept producing errors due to the fact that of her Saskatchewan driver's licence and Manitoba postal code. It took 2 days to benignant it retired and implicit the paperwork, helium said.

A akin contented happened to his lad astatine a dealership successful Winnipeg, said Tetoff.

"It gets tougher the 2nd time, and it adjacent gets much unnerving and maddening the 3rd and 4th clip progressing," Tetoff said. 

Tetoff said he's been met with uncertainty and skepticism astir his code — including from provincial officials portion helium was hunting successful Saskatchewan, wherever helium holds a firearms licence. 

"I've had it with Conservation officers, due to the fact that I hunt [on the] Saskatchewan side. So you're registered, you person a Saskatchewan licence, and past they look and they go, 'You're from Flin Flon, Man.,'" Tetoff said. 

He often feels that helium lives "in between," helium said.

Flin Flon Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk says metropolis residents connected the Saskatchewan broadside often nonstop their kids to schoolhouse connected the Manitoba side, arsenic they each wage municipal taxes to the aforesaid city. 

Flin Flon Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk questions wherefore residents connected the Saskatchewan broadside of the metropolis nary longer person a schoolhouse taxation rebate from the Manitoba government. (Travis Golby/CBC)

Yet Saskatchewan residents paying schoolhouse taxes to the Manitoba municipality are nary longer receiving a recognition for it. 

Residents of Flin Flon, Sask., utilized to person Manitoba's acquisition spot taxation recognition nether the erstwhile Progressive Conservative government, which provided a 50 per cent rebate connected acquisition taxes to residential spot owners and an further $350 recognition for people's superior residence.

The Manitoba NDP authorities has present replaced that with the homeowners affordability taxation credit, worthy up to $1,500, and those surviving implicit the borderline nary longer qualify. 

"They wage their municipal taxes to Flin Flon, and they wage their schoolhouse part taxes to our schoolhouse division, which is successful Manitoba. So it shouldn't substance careless if they unrecorded connected the Saskatchewan side," Dallas-Funk said, calling the alteration a "misstep."

She said the municipality has written letters to the Manitoba authorities but has not received replies. 

In a connection to CBC News connected Wednesday, the state said the caller taxation recognition is "based connected residency" due to the fact that it is implemented nether Manitoba's Income Tax Act.  

"While Flin Flon residents residing successful Saskatchewan wage municipal and schoolhouse taxes to Flin Flon, they wage income taxation to Saskatchewan, and are truthful ineligible" for the caller taxation credit, a provincial spokesperson said.

But Tetoff said contempt the challenges of surviving successful a borderline city, he's recovered a location successful the "in between."

"I wouldn't move. This is my home," helium said. 

"As a assemblage subordinate and household present successful Flin Flon, it's ever been Flin Flon. Always. There's nary division."

WATCH | Flin Flon's Saskatchewan residents look challenges: