Tomorrow is July 1—the day when Canadians shed their collective timidity about waving the flag and celebrate what a great country we live in. There will be parades, music festivals, street parties, and, of course, fireworks. There will be speeches from our politicians and others—all waxing nostalgic while extolling the […]
Editorials
With the fantastic summer weather we’ve finally been enjoying of late, let’s hope Mother Nature continues to smile on us over the next week because there’s certainly lots of activities planned for residents and visitors to enjoy. It all gets underway Friday with the BIA’s annual “Mall Days” on Scott […]
Hooray, hooray, Canadians have been spared a summer election. Before we get too hoarse from cheering, however, let’s call a spade a spade. We’ve avoided a fourth trip to the polls in just five years not because Canadians didn’t want an election, but because neither the Liberals or the Conservatives […]
It’s disturbing enough that five detainees at the new Ge-Da-Gi-Binez Youth Centre here assaulted two staff members last week. But equally troubling is the fact it took so long for “news” of the incident to be released to the public. True, the general public may not have been at risk […]
Evidently the provincial government doesn’t abide by the well-known adage: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Youth Action Alliances across the province, including the local branch, have worked hard to convey the health risks of tobacco products, particularly to fellow teens, since their inception in 2005. They have lobbied […]
With the town’s largest employer forced to restructure under bankruptcy protection, and the forest industry overall continuing to tank, it’s safe to say Fort Frances is facing an uncertain future the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Great Depression. Too bad not a lot of people seem to […]
Amid a tumbling voter turnout that seems to be getting worse with each election, coupled with a growing disillusionment in bothering to fight city hall, it’s comforting to see so many young people taking on the mantle of civic responsibility of late. Take the intriguing pilot project just underway in […]
Possible flurries in the forecast. Temperatures stubbornly staying well below normal for this time of year. Alas, it seems Mother Nature has forgotten the Victoria Day long weekend is supposed to herald the beginning of summer. This weekend also marks the traditional start to tourist season in Northwestern Ontario—and the […]
The coffers must be pretty bare given the Civic Centre’s latest brainchild to save money. The plan, in a nutshell, is that south-side sidewalks will be eliminated whenever streets are repaired in future. The money saved on such things as maintenance and snow removal, in turn, will go towards building […]
Deer have always wandered into town from time to time, but clearly the situation has gotten out of hand. They’ve been a bane to gardeners in the north end for years, although that’s no big surprise given the close proximity of the bush line to their homes. But deer now […]
It was disappointing, though not unexpected, that Tourism minister Monique Smith told delegates attending the Northern Ontario Municipal Association’s annual conference in Fort Frances last week that she could not promise “Sunset Country” will remain a separate entity when the province overhauls its system of travel regions as recommended by […]
Sports, particularly hockey, has always grabbed the spotlight here in Fort Frances—and probably always will. Then again, we’re no different than most other small towns across Canada where, as Tom Cochrane sang, youngsters dream of the “big league” as their ticket to fame and fortune. There’s nothing wrong with sports. […]
