Duane Hicks
The Town of Fort Frances has been recognized for its water safety programs, placing 10th in the Lifesaving Society’s M.G. Griffiths Cup.
The Cup is awarded to the Ontario municipality with the largest life-saving program in a community with a population under 10,000.
At Monday night’s council meeting, Coun. Andrew Hallikas congratulated aquatic director Leanna Moffitt and her staff for the good work.
“There’s many, many small communities under 10,000 in Ontario, and for Fort Frances to be ranked in the top 10 is a real achievement,” he said.
Coun. Hallikas noted while the town didn’t come in first, many of the other small communities in the top 10 are in southern Ontario and surrounded by a much denser population.
“So for us here in the north to even break the top 10 is a real achievement,” he stressed.
“This standing is a reflection of the conscientious efforts of your aquatic staff,” Wendy Mahony, member services director for the Lifesaving Society, stated in a letter to the town.
“Please accept our congratulations and thank them for their work in providing drowning prevention education,” she added.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•referred a donation request from the Fort Frances High School “chem-free” grad committee, re: the 2012 “chem-free” grad party on June 21, to the Administration and Finance executive committee for its recommendation;
•approved the adjustment to aviation fuel pump prices at the Fort Frances Airport (for the second quarter of 2012, a 33 percent mark-up above the town’s cost will be used in establishing pump prices for 100LL and a 36 percent mark-up for Jet A-1);
•approved Minutes of Settlement for property located at 840 Fifth St. W.;
•approved the transfer of $327,803.22 to the waterworks reserve fund and $163,870.55 to the sanitary sewer reserve fund, from the respective water and sewer operating funds, for the fiscal period ending Dec. 31, 2011 (these funds are the water and sewer surplus for 2011);
•agreed to receive the Ontario Regulation 284/09 disclosure report for the 2012 operating budget as presented; and
•directed the clerk to prepare a resolution to call on the province to increase the “heads and beds” payment in lieu of taxes, invite the province to meet with host municipalities to review the current system of payments, and request NOMA’s support of the resolution.
