There was a time when the Town of Fort Frances valued trees along the boulevards of the community. Today, the only trees the town fathers appreciate are the single-stemmed ones holding wires in the air. When the Dutch Elm disease ravaged and destroyed the American Elms that flourished along Fort […]
Editorials
The foundation of any solid community rests on the sacrifices made by those who came before and instilled a sense of pride in the place they called home. The opportunity to show our appreciation for what some local athletes accomplished for the greater good of us all will come this […]
Ask people what industries fuel the economic engine of Rainy River District and no doubt forestry and tourism would spring to mind first, followed closely by mining given New Gold’s mine north of Barwick is scheduled to go into production this fall while various exploration projects are going on elsewhere. […]
“We’re in desperation mode,” Fort Frances Lakers’ president Milt Strachan had said back in April regarding the local Junior ‘A’ team’s future here. Carrying an expected $40,000 debt, there’s talk the 2017-18 season may be the Lakers’ last unless the team sees a significant increase in attendance, as well as […]
What a week to showcase all that Fort Frances has to offer. On Sunday, St. George’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church here hosted visiting clergy, including His Eminence, the Metropolitan Yurij, spiritual head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada, as well as other guests from Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, and the U.S. […]
The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated is a quote attributed to renowned American author Mark Twain. It also can apply to Fort Frances. When Resolute Forest Products permanently closed its mill here in 2014, there was plenty of doom and gloom hanging over the future. But while there’s […]
Hats off to the volunteers across Rainy River District who put on Canada Day celebrations to remember. Across the district, the festivities started at 7 a.m. with a series of pancake breakfasts. What followed was a nearly non-stop lineup of activities, ranging from fun runs, parades, a fastball tourney in […]
The big day soon will be upon us: the anniversary of the birth of a nation 150 years ago. Our country has come a long way since the British colonies known as the Province of Canada (formerly Upper and Lower Canada), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick came together to form […]
In the wake of the recent terror attacks in London and Manchester, it is troubling–but not so surprising–that someone would take it upon themselves to seek reprisal against the Muslim community, which we saw in the early-morning hours of Monday when a white man drove a van into a group […]
The main argument behind the push to establish fixed election dates every four years was to prevent the party in power from sending voters to the polls when the timing was most convenient for it. But while trying to eliminate crass partisanship from when elections are called was a noble […]
The rash of used needles being discarded carelessly around town is a community health issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Seemingly concerned more about defending its needle exchange program, the local Northwestern Health Unit looks to be downplaying the matter–blaming social media for making the problem seem more widespread […]
With the federal Conservatives choosing Andrew Scheer as their new leader on Saturday, another “youngster” now is at the helm of a major political party. Despite being just 38, Mr. Scheer already is a seasoned parliamentarian, though–first getting elected to the House of Commons in 2004 at age 25. He […]
