It was great to see so many people, particularly those new to the sport of cross-country skiing, turn out for the Rainy Lake Nordic Ski Club’s family ski day this past Sunday. With Borderland finally seeing a “normal” winter again, club organizers say the 11-km network of trails off Rocky […]
Editorials
When looking back at 2007 this week, its clear our community once again had a lot of wonderful things to celebrate, tough challenges to tackle, and heart-wrenching tragedies to deal with. Certainly the most positive news of the past year was the approval and start of a biomass boiler by […]
Vibrant debate is one cornerstone of a vibrant community—whether it’s on an important matter like “outshopping” or something more innocuous like the logo at centre ice at the Ice for Kids Arena. A frank exchange of views is crucial to helping find solutions to an issue or, at the very […]
Former town councillors Al Bedard and Nick Wihnan deserve kudos for standing on their principles. Both failed to win a seat in last November’s municipal election yet neither one chose to run in the Jan. 14 byelection because they don’t believe it should be held in the first place—arguing the […]
There’s an old Irish proverb that says, “Praise youth and it will prosper.” So often the accomplishments and good deeds young individuals perform are overlooked and under-acknowledged. So quick we are to dismiss the young as frivolous. The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year awards are here to ensure young […]
Each year, the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce holds its awards gala to salute the top businesses, entrepreneurs, and employees across the district, as well as those which excel at customer service, safety, and training. It’s always a wonderful evening—complete with an Academy Awards-like atmosphere as all the deserving nominees […]
With the Canadian dollar now trading at par, or even above, the U.S. greenback, the temptation for district residents to stream over the border in search of bargains is strong—and understandable. After all, who doesn’t want to stretch their hard-earned money as far as possible? The troubling downside, of course, […]
Getting the message through to teenagers about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, and other risky behaviour, is tricky at best. They certainly don’t like being lectured, and issuing edicts could well have the exact opposite effect—encouraging them to do things whether out of spite or curiosity. Compounding the […]
We all know it’s better to pull off a Band-Aid in one quick motion rather than try to peel it away gently—the short stab of pain being preferred over the longer, albeit duller, ache. In a sense, that’s precisely the situation voters are faced with: whether we should have an […]
The latest provincial election is looming next Wednesday (Oct. 10)—and with it a familiar refrain: “Why bother to cast a ballot? My vote doesn’t matter, anyway.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Your one vote could determine which candidate captures the Kenora-Rainy River riding. And that one riding, in […]
It’s no secret that Northern Ontario’s voice barely registers as a whisper down at Queen’s Park. The current election campaign certainly hasn’t done anything to dispel that complaint. The two main contenders for the premier’s job—Dalton McGuinty and John Tory—are busy arguing over public funding for faith-based schools and the […]
Coun. Tannis Drysdale’s abrupt resignation Monday (she cited “personal repriorizations” in an e-mail to the Times this morning) leaves town council with a decision on how to fill her seat. No doubt everyone remembers the mess the previous council created when it faced such a decision after Coun. Struchan Gilson’s […]
