Senate reform is making headlines again with word last week that the Harper government has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether proposals such as holding elections for senators and imposing term limits are constitutional. Also on the table is the option of abolishing the Senate altogether. That latter […]
Editorials
Seeing the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce and local BIA come together last Thursday evening for a brainstorming session on ways to revitalize our town was encouraging, with the strong turnout suggesting a desire to forge ahead rather than simply wave the white flag. Where we seem to have trouble, […]
It’s relatively easy to close schools. It’s much more difficult to get them back should circumstances change down the road. That’s a conundrum Rainy River District may face one day as more and more schools are allowed to fall by the wayside. Fort Frances, for instance, is now down to […]
It appears—fortunately—that calmer heads will prevail and today’s planned “day of action” by aboriginal protesters won’t include widespread blockades and other disruptions. Just how events would unfold was a mystery given the belligerent statements by some native leaders in the lead-up to last Friday’s meeting between Prime Minister Stephen Harper […]
It’s great to hear that the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship is returning to where it belongs—under the tent at the Sorting Gap Marina. The Ice For Kids Arena is a top-notch facility but it never could match the atmosphere the riverfront offered. Sure, you’re at the whims of Mother […]
Ahh, the new year. A chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Alas, the bitter reality is that the challenges and issues facing us didn’t miraculously disappear with the stroke of midnight on Monday. It may now be 2013 but the future of our paper mill, and the […]
It’s so easy, after the fact, to judge the actions of the local school boards, high school officials, and police as an over-reaction in the wake of the incident at Fort Frances High School on Dec. 6. As it turned out, fortunately, the firearm a 16-year-old male was spotted with […]
Whenever there’s a dispute involving teachers, whether directed at a specific board of education or the provincial government in general, as is the case this time around, it is the students and their parents who are the real victims. But while it may have taken a full-blown strike or lockout […]
And so it begins. With abrupt word this week that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant, the media circus is well underway—and sure to get much worse over the next seven months. Of course, speculation is rampant whether she’ll give birth to a boy or girl. And bookies already are […]
Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (S.A.L.T.) held its inaugural “Hats Off to Seniors” gala Nov. 16 as a way to thank local individuals, businesses, and organizations that have supported the group since its inception in August, 2010. But it is the S.A.L.T. members themselves, as well as those who sit […]
Persistent whispers, coupled with not-so-subtle signs, that all was not rosy at the local pulp and paper mill had town residents holding their collective breath of late waiting for the shoe to drop. It finally did—with a resounding thud—yesterday afternoon when Resolute Forest Products announced it was idling indefinitely its […]
It’s comforting to see the issue of mental illness no longer lurks in the shadow of society, and that there’s now a concerted effort to better ensure the mental wellness of young people. The estimation that one-in-five students will suffer a significant mental health problem or disorder over the course […]
