Council unanimously opposed a request from a Fort Frances resident to allow for a sign on town property adjacent from their personal property to advertise a home-based business.
The request came in a letter that was put before councillors during last night’s meeting of Fort Frances town council. The letter stated the signage is to both help in promoting the individual’s personal business, as well as to indicate the operating location so as not to cause issues with traffic or pedestrian safety.
Council determined it was best to decline the request, as there were concerns it could set a precedent in the community.
“There are probably multiple home-based businesses in our community,” Coun. Wendy Brunetta said. “I’m concerned that if we do allow this application, we may get many, many more that will clutter up our community with a lot of signs. We have GPS, it’s really not difficult to find addresses anymore. I feel like there are other ways that we could possibly support these home-based businesses, maybe even through our own town website and Facebook page.”
Council also addressed that other members in the immediate neighbourhood have voiced disapproval of sign clutter from the business.
“I received a phone call from a resident who is suggesting that not just he, but several residents in that area, aren’t in favour of allowing signs to be posted,” Coun. Steven Maki said. “One of his questions goes to what Councillor Brunetta had just brought up, ‘If he can put one up, can I put one up for myself?’ The next thing you know, the whole neighbourhood has signs.”
Lifeguard recruitment
The town is facing difficulty in finding certified lifeguards, similar to many rural communities due to lack of certified candidates. As a result, administration has undertaken a comprehensive recruitment campaign to fill the vacancies.
“With the return of school, we lost a significant number of lifeguards who’ve gone on to university,” Community Services & Facilities Manager Craig Miller said. “This was essentially the first cohort of lifeguards that we trained coming out of COVID. They’re the 18-year-olds. We lost seven of them, as well as one day time lifeguard due to a personal medical issue, so we only have one day time lifeguard right now.”
So far, the recruitment campaign has included targeted social media advertising, active job postings, direct candidate sourcing through Indeed and local outreach efforts.
At a cost of $229.29, Facebook advertising generated 38,255 posting views. However, only two applications were received with neither candidate being qualified.
Administration has had minor success by contacting former lifeguards who are nearing retirement from current careers that will be able to pick up casual lifeguard shifts throughout the week, however this isn’t sufficient enough to fill the existing need for full-time staff.
According to their report to council, administration may consider facilitating a local lifeguard certification course in the future to increase the number of qualified lifeguards available in the immediate area.
Empower 2 Recover
The town opted to donate $300 to Empower 2 Recover, a Canadian non-profit dedicated to recovery of addictions, trauma and challenges stemming from mental health issues.
Empower 2 Recover will be coming to Fort Frances next week, with a flag raising on Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. at the Civic Centre and speakers discussing real life experiences of overcoming obstacles on Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at La Place Rendez-Vous.
This will be the third year the organization has visited Fort Frances. On both other occasions, the town has given a similar monetary donation.
Admission the event are $30 and include a catered lunch, with proceeds funding future events. Tickets can be purchased at empower2recover.com
