Local News from Across the Rainy River District
A Human Rights Tribunal (HRTO) ruling that requires the Township of Emo to pay $10,000 and Mayor Harold McQuaker $5,000 to cross‑border LGBTQ2+ community organization Borderland Pride will stand, a tribunal adjudicator has ruled. The Township and McQuaker had asked the tribunal to reconsider its 2024 decision, which ruled that […]
The original plan for the rehabilitation Fort Frances’ shoreline was scrapped by Town of Fort Frances Council on Monday night after the awarded contractor failed to initiate the project. Town council now looks to award the work to a pricier firm, limiting the project to areas in most dire need […]
Fort Frances will face possibilities for large-scale economic opportunities by developing industrial power assets in town, said Mayor Andrew Hallikas. Since the closure of the pulp and paper mill in 2014, the town has been searching for opportunities to draw in new industry, promoting itself as a community ready for […]
An integrity commissioner’s report has recommended that Emo Mayor Harold McQuaker be reprimanded and have his pay suspended for 60 days following the mayor’s failure to report funds donated to help with legal costs stemming from a 2024 Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) ruling. The recent report from Integrity […]
The Township of Emo is once again searching for a new CEO/librarian following Mellisa Gallagher’s resignation after just six months on the job. Gallagher started in the role last March when the township hired her to take over the position that had been vacant since the end of December 2025, […]
Sure, the Emo Fair is all fun and games for most, but if you’re into serious competition, the place to be is Exhibition Hall, where just about anything you can raise, grow, build, bake, knit, craft, carve, pickle or crochet can be submitted for judgment—and win prizes. The Exhibition Hall […]
Fort Frances Town Council is expected to soon have its power restricted when it goes into a temporary “lame duck” period. A lame duck council occurs when fewer than 75 per cent of its current members choose not to run again. For Fort Frances, this means that only two members […]
The fate of Sunny Cove remains undecided after Fort Frances Town Council walked back its decision to sell the former children’s camp and directed administration to look again at costs associated with its rehabilitation. Although it was founded by the Kiwanis Club of Fort Frances, Sunny Cove was sold to […]
After a successful first year, the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society (RRVAS) is bringing back the Fair Ambassador program, which replaced the former Fair Queen program as of last year’s RRVAS Fall Fair. Open to all residents of the Rainy River District aged 17 to 24 of all genders, the […]
Darcy Whitecrow considers it his duty to preserve his culture, planting its seeds through traditional language and a connection to nature. A member of Seine River First Nation, Whitecrow says he is here to pass on the lessons he has learned through family, a traditional Ojibwe upbringing and life experience. […]
With chickens being notorious for their fragility, heatwaves and poor air quality are making this a challenging summer for district poultry farmers, but not an impossible one. Lacking any sweat glands, chickens cool down primarily by panting and holding out their wings to let air cool their bodies. In heavy […]
Construction work on some key thoroughfares through Fort Frances continues to progress this summer, but it will still be a few months before traffic can flow across town without the detours drivers have become used to. Roadwork along Third Street West started last summer, where repairs and reconstruction were made […]
