By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

The community’s response to this year’s Terry Fox Run surpassed organizers’ expectation. Organizers of this year’s edition of the annual fundraising event had hoped to blow the doors off last year’s turnout of a mere handful of participants. Laura Bruyere, who was co-organizer this year with Laureen Luchka, said 80 […]

By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

Organizers of the Fort Frances Terry Fox Run are calling on the community to help boost participation in this year’s charity run and walk after a disappointingly small turnout last year. The annual fundraiser for the 45th annual Terry Fox Foundation in support of cancer research was kicked off Sept. […]

By James Matthews
Local Journaliam Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

Some Fort Frances capital projects this summer have been a little slower than senior staff anticipated. As part of the work on Third Street, the existing mill effluent lines were removed and reinstated to allow for work to safely progress beyond them. Staff reported to council that work is progressing […]

By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

The town will return a stop sign to piece of the Fort Frances riverfront near the former mill. The sign would be located to regulate southbound Victoria Avenue traffic heading east on Front Street. According to a request to town council, it has become apparent that, with new tenants at […]

By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

Some foreign-born workers face uncertainty about their future in Fort Frances, despite their ongoing contributions to the local workforce. The federal government put a plan into effect last year that paused short-term population growth in Canada to achieve well-managed, sustainable long-term growth, according to an October 2024 press release from […]

By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

Any means that will draw attention to the need for improvements to winter travel on northern highways is welcomed. Fort Frances town council decided to support an effort to tighten safety measures for motorists driving Ontario’s northern highways year-round. Councillor Wendy Brunetta suggested to council when it met Aug. 11, […]

By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initative
Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

A healthy democracy works best in a respectful environment. You’d only have to look south of the border to get a sense of that truism. As such, Fort Frances Councillor Wendy Brunetta asked that council colleagues get behind an effort started by their counterparts in St. Catharines against harassment of […]

By James Matthews
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

An effort is underway to make easier the licencing of food trucks in Fort Frances. Council asked during its July 14 meeting that municipal staff come up with a pilot bylaw to better regulate food trucks up to Dec. 31, 2026. A report on the pilot program will then be […]

By James Matthews
Staff writer
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

Fort Frances’ business community hopes foreign workers will pick up some of the slack created by its dwindling youth workforce. Heather Johnson, Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s director, said there was a time when university and college students would fill job openings during the summer months. In recent years, high […]

By James Matthews
Staff writer
jmatthews@fortfrances.com

The province’s Strong Mayors Powers is an affront to democracy. That was the consensus among town council when it met June 23. Council voted unanimously to discuss at the next scheduled meeting a demand that Fort Frances be excluded from the province’s list of designated municipalities. The powers that have […]