The Ontario government confirmed Wednesday it will invest a total of $601,250 to revitalize the Fort Frances Masonic building and upgrade the McIrvine park and ice rink.
Of the money promised last year through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), $101,250 went to the Fort Frances Masonic Building Association to replace the roof of the downtown building and $500,000 will be spent by the town to put a roof over the west-end rink.
Upgrading aging infrastructure in the town will allow community to gather for social and recreational activities in safe and accessible environments Kenora–Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford said in a press release. “Leveraging the NOHFC, we are enhancing the quality of life for families in Northwestern Ontario, by ensuring the longevity of the infrastructure we love and rely on.”
Fort Frances Mayor Andrew Hallikas said the town is “extremely grateful” to Rickford and the fund for supporting the upgrades. “Fort Frances is a hockey town and the $500,000 grant from the NOHFC will be used to put a roof over one of our outdoor rinks, which is located in McIrvine Park, allowing it to be better utilized during the skating season and also for year-round social and recreational activities.”
In January, town council approved the building of a roof over the McIrvine rink at a cost of $994,000 that will help reduce snow removal costs and increase its availability to skaters and other users. A concrete pad and new boards will be added to the rink area as well as improvements to the nearby playground.
The East End Rink has yet to receive funding for the installation of a roof and other improvements.
The roof repairs to the Masonic building will allow gatherings to continue in a safer, more accessible and modern space, the NOHC said. “The organizations operating out of this building will continue to deliver important employment and skills development programming that promotes workforce expansion and supports regional economic growth.”
The building houses Northern Community Development Services, full time and has hosted community gatherings since 1921 and “has provided a meeting and training facility for all occupations at no cost to employers and I would like to thank the NOHFC for providing us the grant so we may continue to provide these services to the public,” said Barry Jackson, Secretary of the Fort Frances Masonic Building Association.
Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $1 billion in nearly 8,100 projects in Northern Ontario, leveraging more than $3 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 12,500 jobs.
It was also announced that the Town of Fort Frances is receiving almost $3.5 million to upgrade the Central Ave. and White Pine sewage lift stations. This funding comes via the Health and Safety Water Stream under the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. Upgrading the lift stations helps the town to be able to add capacity to the sewage treatment system and bring them up to current provincial environmental standards.
The White Pine lift station upgrades will be required to add dwelling capacity to the Shevlin Wood Yard development project in the east end of Fort Frances. Planning for the work will be put to tender in the near future with work anticipated to start in 2027.
