Despite all the fanfare surrounding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to Washington, D.C. today and tomorrow, along with last week’s first ministers’ summit on climate change, many question the real value of such get-togethers. Certainly in terms of substance, they generally don’t produce much of anything concrete beyond the […]
Editorials
Got Muskie fever yet? Well, you should given four Fort High squads are heading off to seek provincial glory next week. The Muskie boys’ hockey team—fresh off its ninth-straight NorWOSSA crown—is heading to the all-Ontarios in Ottawa for a whopping 36th time, although OFSAA success has been hard to come […]
It’s great to see that the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s business awards gala continues to thrive after 20 years. Not only was there a wide cross-section of nominations for the various categories again this year, but nearly 1,600 votes were cast to determine the winners—well above the 1,021 last […]
It seems to happen quite often here. A club or group announces an event—only to discover the date conflicts with something else already planned. On the bright side, a myriad of events is indicative of a vibrant community. The downside, of course, is that multiple events being held simultaneously can […]
Unbelievable! Hopefully people misread the question. Otherwise it’s hard to fathom how almost 80 percent of the 330-plus respondents to the Fort Frances Times’ web poll this past week don’t think “O Canada” should be gender-neutral. Really? This is our national anthem—one of the most iconic symbols of our collective […]
It’s still very early in the process but already there seems to be plenty of interest over how to develop the “market square” planned for where the Rainy Lake Hotel once stood. There were plenty of “likes” on Facebook over the weekend to the suggestion to build a replica fort […]
By the time the next federal election rolls around, set for Oct. 21, 2019 under fixed election date provisions, it’s likely Canadians will face a different voting process given new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed this past election would be the last featuring the so-called “first-past-the-post” system. Many decry that […]
Back in October, the town issued a plea for volunteers to help with organizing Canada Day activities here. It seems to have been heeded. Cynthia Donald and her group of six others reportedly have stepped forward to make July 1 a much bigger event in Fort Frances than it has […]
Another new year has rolled around—and so have the annual lists of New Year’s resolutions people invariably make when the calendar flips over to a fresh start. There are the common ones, of course: quitting smoking, losing weight, cutting back on alcohol consumption, and exercising more. But while most genuinely […]
Change certainly was the theme for 2015 here in our corner of the world. For one, the ground-breaking ceremony in May for New Gold’s Rainy River Project north of Barwick signalled a switch to mining as the new economic driver in the district—not the forest industry. The project is pumping […]
Sports fans love a heated rivalry—and the annual clashes between the Muskie boys’ hockey team and International Falls Broncos each winter certainly fit that bill. And clearly a lot of people would love to see these exhibition showdowns resume. Trouble is, too often it was the “fans”—to use that term […]
It didn’t draw much attention—barely a passing mention in the Rainy River Future Development Corp.’s quarterly report to town council back on Nov. 23—but the future of the “Harmony of Nations” Music Festival here is an important issue. More precisely, will it live to see a third year? Clearly some […]
