Kudos to the “I Am Awesome (And I Know It!)” self-esteem and empowerment retreat for young women for making the semi-final round of the Aviva Community Fund competition—the lone idea to advance between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg. It took two tries but thanks to the support of district residents, the […]
Editorials
The town is taking a proactive approach to our current economic woes by hiring Twist Marketing of Calgary to help establish a unified brand across Fort Frances. Notwithstanding that it is almost 2014 and we’re only now getting around to finding a “brand,” any effort to move our community forward […]
The debacle known as bear management isn’t the most pressing problem facing Ontario these days but it’s certainly a shining example of crass politics voters love to hate as all three parties scramble to woo voters. The Progressive Conservatives take the cake, though. First, they criticized the NDP for pushing […]
Given the extensive coverage of the expense scandal that has plagued the Senate these past few months, it’s not surprising that most Canadians appear ready to give the upper chamber the boot. Of the 360-plus respondents to this past week’s web poll conducted by the Fort Frances Times, for instance, […]
As we pause at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to remember and thank those who gave their lives to preserve our freedom and values, it’s important to also not lose sight of the dual message of Remembrance Day. Although the horrors of the First […]
It may not be an official town-sanctioned honour, but it’s great to see the creation of an annual award to recognize the contributions of local senior citizens. That’s not to say they haven’t been saluted over the years—a majority of the 25 recipients to date of the Fort Frances Citizen-of-the-Year […]
There’s plenty of blame—and responsibility—to go around over the Senate expenses scandal that continues to engulf Ottawa. You’ve got senators showing scant regard for taxpayers’ money by filing dubious housing and travel claims, and Senate rules so ambiguous to allow such a fiasco. Then there’s the antics of the Prime […]
It would be easy to dump on organizers for deciding to make this year’s Santa Claus parade here a “stationary” one. Pure lunacy, you say? An abomination that dares to mess with the tradition of jolly St. Nick waving to the children from his sleigh? There’s no question the idea […]
Few local issues garner as much emotion and controversy as school closures, and that’s certain to be the case yet again as the local public board wrestles with the future of Donald Young in Emo, Sturgeon Creek in Barwick, and Crossroads in Devlin over the next three months. The Rainy […]
Our community recently welcomed two new physicians, Dr. Melanie Halvorsen and Dr. Craig Holland. But with two others set to retire in the coming months, it’s clear doctor recruitment—and retention—continues to be a vital public issue here. The key word being “public.” Yet it seems local residents are being kept […]
Take a look around—at school, in the library, at church, or on the field. There are young “stars” everywhere who are making a difference, inspiring others, and building community. Yet many may not even realize the effect they are having on others. As such, it’s time to recognize their dedication […]
Organizers may be disappointed that this year’s Terry Fox Run here drew far less than half the participants as last September, and only raised just over $5,000, but they shouldn’t lose heart. While the numbers and dollar amount were down, let’s commend the 43 people that did turn out Sunday […]
