Duane Hicks
After years of waiting, the town is hoping to get a definitive answer as to whether or not the province will sell the land situated between the old library and the Fort Frances Clinic to allow for the latter’s future relocation and expansion.
Mayor Roy Avis, Couns. Wendy Brunetta and Ken Perry, and Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig brought the issue up at the recent OGRA/ROMA conference in Toronto, and are expecting an answer by the middle of this month.
Speaking at Monday night’s regular council meeting, Mayor Avis noted he and the delegates had a “very frank” discussion with Marie-France Lalonde, parliamentary assistant to Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure minister Brad Duguid, over the property.
The mayor said acquiring the land is “a very important part of improving our health care in Fort Frances,” adding the issue has been brought up several times before.
“This time we took a positive approach and we asked a very pointed question: ‘Either you say ‘yes’ or you say ‘no’ to purchase so we get on with what is going to be taking place,” he remarked.
“After the meeting, we were met by one of the assistants and told we could expect some kind of communication by mid-March,” he added.
Coun. Perry said the mayor was passionate when making the presentation about the property.
“You were very forceful, Mr. Mayor,” he noted.
“Your disappointment in how they treated us the last six years showed through in your remarks.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why they responded back to us and said they’d be back to us by the middle of March,” Coun. Perry added.
The 99 feet of property is controlled by Infrastructure Ontario (formerly the Ontario Realty Corp.)
Coun. Perry explained the town wants the property so the old library can be expanded into a new clinic, with the existing one to be demolished and made into a parking lot.
He added the property issue has been on the table since he’s been on council, but the town never seems to be able to get a definitive answer about acquiring it.
Hopefully, the town now will find out if it can acquire that property or not.
“We’re done fooling around,” Coun. Perry stressed.
“If we have to move onto another piece of property to build a new clinic on, that’s what we’re going to do.”
The local delegates presented a total of 11 briefs to several ministers or their assistants at OGRA/ROMA.
They met with Indira Naidoo-Harris, parliamentary assistant to Health and Long-term Care minister Dr. Eric Hoskins, about the doctor shortage in Fort Frances and the need for assisted living here.
They met with Community Safety and Correctional Services minister Dr. Helena Jaczek about the vulnerable occupancy concerns and firefighter certifications.
While meeting with Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur, the delegates stressed the importance of getting a new resident Crown Attorney to replace Robert “Buster” Young, who retired here in recent months.
“We didn’t go down there only for Fort Frances,” Mayor Avis stressed.
“We went down there for the whole Rainy River District—all of the communities and all of the First Nations’ communities.”
The delegates also met with Natural Resources and Forestry minister Bill Mauro, who “was very receptive” to a brief asking for assistance in a possible restart of the mill here.
“Our conversation also led to asking for support in possibly securing a purchase power agreement for the mill if the mill was to be restarted,” noted Mayor Avis.
When meeting Northern Development and Mines minister Michael Gravelle, the delegates reiterated the need for a new resident Crown Attorney here, the potential sale of the local mill, and the acquisition of the land between the clinic and former library building.
As well, the delegates updated Aboriginal Affairs minister David Zimmer on the ongoing negotiations with the Agency One bands regarding the Point Park land.
Mayor Avis thanked McCaig for the efforts he put forward preparing the briefs for the conference.
The delegates also attended various plenary sessions, heard various speakers, and went to the ministers’ forum—a 90-minute session attended by 21 ministers and some 2,000 delegates.
