Duane Hicks
The town wants to remove the faded banners from the “Lap” building at the border, but first must find out if the mill’s owner will allow it.
“Those banners on the side of the mill are dilapidated, they’re falling down,” Mayor Roy Avis said during Monday night’s council meeting, at which time council directed administration to contact Resolute.
“There’s been a lot of criticism over the last few years about the condition of them,” he added, later noting the banners are “kind of an eyesore coming into Canada.”
There’s been renewed demand from the public to do something about the banners, whether from citizens on social media or in coffee shops, from groups such as the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, and even in recent Times’ editorials.
At an Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting last week, it recommended the town remove the banners.
But Mayor Avis pointed out that while the town owns the banners, they don’t own the building.
As such, the town must contact Resolute for permission to remove the banners from the mill property.
Mayor Avis feels removal is the only option at this point in time. Given the future status of the mill remains unknown, it would not be prudent to put up new banners to replace the current ones.
But he also noted a fresh coat of paint might be an option if the town does get permission to remove the banners.
Fort Frances CAO Doug Brown noted he’s been talking with the Fort Frances Power Corp., and the utility has agreed to partner with the town to remove the banners “in the most cost-effective manner” once they get the go-ahead.
Council agreed to the direction, although Coun. Wendy Brunetta wondered, “I just wonder if what’s under them is going to look any better?”
The banners on the “Lap” building are the second set to be hung there.
The first set, along with the electronic display board at the border, first were put up in January, 2005 and officially “unveiled” in a ceremony that May.
At that time, Abitibi-Consolidated owned the mill.
In addition to the Town of Fort Frances, Rainy River District, Kenora, Dryden, the townships of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls and Machin, Naotkamegwanning, and Onigaming First Nations, and the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre each ponied up for one of the seven banners, which measure eight feet wide by 24 feet high.
The federal government also pitched in some cash to help make the project a reality.
A second set of banners (the ones currently there) were put up in 2009 after a wind storm tore the first set down.
One of the banners even caused minor damage to a passing vehicle.
