Tom Pearson
Dear Mike,
I read about the criminal who was trying to smuggle his children into Canada and was caught at the border in Fort Frances.
I commend you [Canada Customs] on a great job. He was a criminal and should be treated as such.
I also just was informed that Charlie Sheen is doing a show in Toronto on April 14. My phone has been ringing all [Tuesday] morning because of this.
Residents and tourism operators all are saying the same thing: it amazes them how Toronto tourism is so much more important than Northwestern Ontario tourism.
Over the years, we have lost millions of dollars in tourism receipts and jobs here in the northwest because of “minor criminality” issues at the Fort Frances border crossing. I guess it is true, our fishermen and women are not Charlie Sheen but they still want to spend their dollars here.
That is something that is getting harder to find. Someone who just wants to come up here and fish or hunt and spend their money.
None of us want criminals in the country. Will Charlie Sheen actually be a threat to Canadians? I don’t think so. Will he bring a lot of money into our hurting economy? Yes, he will.
My hope is that the same rules, and some common sense and true discretion, comes to the Fort Frances border crossing for this coming fishing season. There are criminals and there are just people who did some stupid things in years past.
We all know people like that from both sides of the border.
Cheers,
Tom Pearson,
NWOTA president,
Camp Narrows Lodge
