Prosperous plans

The announcement that a 12 bed youth detention centre was to be built in Fort Frances came as a surprise to most residents. The commitment by the Children and Youth Services Minister to build the facility is a welcome note. The communities of Fort Frances and Couchiching First Nation began their quest for the facility in 2002. Mayor Glen Witherspoon, Pwi-Di-Goo-Zing Ne-Yaa-Zhing Non Profit Advisory Services, the Rainy River Future Development Corp., and Couchiching put together a package to persuade the Ontario government of the day of the need to establish a facility in the district. When first considered, it was felt the facility would be larger. In the end, a small facility was recommended and the proposal that the two communities put together addressed the small facility. The presentations were made, the lobbying took place and the government changed. Eventually the McGuinty government rediscovered the plan and the work and made a positive decision for the communities. The process took five years. From an economic development proposal, the facility will put about $1.5 million annually into the community. It will add new jobs. Other economic development initiatives have been worked on including the bringing of faster bandwidth to the area and cell phones. Just recently a $4 million dollar program was submitted to the province for consideration to improve the infrastructure of cell phones and internet bandwidth across the district. Other initiatives are in the works. Some will become reality quickly. Others may languish for half a decade like the detention facility. Other initiatives will die without action. The important part of economic development is looking to the future to see what the communities and people will require to prosper and grow. And then creating the plans in advance to take advantage of opportunities when they might arise.