A Minnie Avenue homeowner feels that Fort Frances water services has come up short on its responsibility to service his property and that of some neighbours and is suggesting a straightforward solution.
In a letter to town council, Eric Onichuk stated that he and others are paying for full municipal services, but their water is supplied by what the town has deemed a private line.
“We have been a paying customer for municipal water service for many years, yet the property has not been provided with the full services associated with a public water supply, including fire protection,” Onichuk stated in his letter.
Onichuk said the line serving his east-end property, as well as two others on Minnie Avenue and one on 8th Street East, appears to be a one-inch polyethylene pipe installed sometime between the 1960s and 1970s.
It was not immediately known why the line was installed independent of the municipal water supply, and Onichuk said a standard title did not disclose the situation at any point during the purchase of the property.
The line runs from Williams Avenue to 8th Street and then onto Minnie Avenue. Residents have paid monthly municipal water bills but have been informed they’re serviced by a private water line and have incurred significant out-of-pocket expenses for multiple repairs to the aging infrastructure.
“As residents paying for a municipal service, we should not be solely responsible for the maintenance and repair of the infrastructure providing that service,” Onichuk said.
“This situation puts our homes and families at risk due to the lack of fire protection and places an undue financial burden on us for infrastructure that the town bills us to use.”
Onichuk suggested the existing water line could be stitched into the Williams Avenue water main with a new line and fire hydrant installed along 8th Street to Minnie Avenue.
“I respectfully request a clear explanation of the town’s position on this water line and a discussion regarding a plan to resolve this issue equitably,” he wrote. “We are eager to work with the town to find a permanent solution.”
Mayor Andrew Hallikas asked during a Sept. 22 meeting that council request that municipal staff look into the issue and report back later this year. Any work would be included in the town’s 2026 municipal operating and capital budget.
