Duane Hicks
Those wanting to get married in a civil ceremony here soon will have more flexibility as to when and where they’ll be able to tie the knot.
Council on Monday night approved a recommendation from the Administration and Finance executive committee to amend the civil marriage bylaw and enhance the provision of services through the town clerk’s office to include marriages to be performed after hours at the Civic Centre, and on weekends at locations within Fort Frances other than the Civic Centre.
Council first passed the bylaw to authorize civil marriages back on Aug. 27, 2007, at which time it was decided they only would be performed at the Civic Centre and on Friday afternoons until it was determined whether increased levels of service would be needed.
But in a report received by council Monday night, clerk Glenn Treftlin, who is authorized to perform civil marriage services along with deputy clerk Kathy Lawson, noted that since the first service was conducted on Oct. 26, 2007, there have been requests to have civil marriages performed after hours and at different locations, including outside the municipal boundary.
Due to the limitations of the bylaw, they have been unable to accommodate these requests.
Lawson noted she performed nine civil marriages last year, but in addition to those, she received 14 requests for off-site officiating, which prompted her to request the bylaw be changed.
While they still won’t be able to perform civil marriages outside of Fort Frances, Lawson said adding the options of after-hours and weekend marriages should help better accommodate more couples.
Prices also will be slightly increased for after-hours and weekend marriages. Services performed at the Civic Centre on Friday afternoons will continue to cost $300 while marriages after hours at the Civic Centre or on the weekends other than at the Civic Centre will cost $350.
The fee covers administration costs, rental of the Civic Centre (for Friday afternoon and after-hours marriages), and payment to the officiants (who receive slightly higher compensation for devoting their time on weekends).
The amended bylaw will be up for vote at a future council meeting.
