We all knew—deep down—that Fort Frances was not immune to the woes gripping the forest industry of late. It was a matter of when, not if. The shoe finally dropped over the past week with word Abitibi-Consolidated was laying off a large number of its salaried staff here (the company […]
Editorials
When Fort Frances hosts a major event, like the Ontario Scott curling playdowns back in late January-early February and the all-Ontario boys’ high school hockey championship last week, it’s only natural to sing the praises of the organizing committees and volunteers who ensure their success. Often lost in the shuffle, […]
Will the magic of 1989 be repeated? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind this week as the all-Ontario boys’ hockey championship got underway here this morning. After all, even though it’s been 17 years, no one among the 3,000 fans packed into the old Memorial Arena (now the ’52 […]
After years of trying to pay for services downloaded from the province, especially policing, Pickle Lake council threw in the towel this week and basically invited the McGuinty government to take over its affairs. The mess Pickle Lake faces certainly isn’t because the township has been fiscally irresponsible or that […]
At the last meeting of Fort Frances council, Mayor Dan Onichuk declared a conflict of interest in the application by Loblaws to rezone a piece of property located in the west end of town between Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart. The mayor noted he was a minority shareholder in the corporation […]
The tug-of-war over who controls Rainycrest is heating up again fast as the year-long takeover by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is set to expire in just over two weeks. That’s precisely why a cool-down period is needed, which is what the ministry basically asked for on Friday […]
If NDP MPP Peter Kormos has his way, hospitals in Ontario soon could be harvesting organs from deceased people before moving their bodies down to the morgue and then on to funeral homes. A private member’s bill Mr. Kormos is planning to re-introduce at Queen’s Park would, in effect, change […]
Canada’s performance at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy has followed the same old song and dance so far: high hopes not translating into medals. And frankly, it’s beginning to sound like a broken record. Heading into the Turin Games, there was talk of Canada hauling in as many as […]
Is it any wonder that voters are so cynical these days? “Vote for change” was the central message of Stephen Harper’s campaign leading up to the Jan. 23 election—and enough voters heeded it to hand the Conservatives a minority government. Yet in one of his first actions as Prime Minister, […]
Where did the year go? Back in January, 2005, when Fort Frances was hosting the Northwestern Ontario ladies’ curling championship, the news came out that our town had landed the right to stage the provincial showdown from Jan. 30-Feb. 4, 2006. At the time, that seemed so far away. But […]
While Canadians put the Conservatives in charge on Monday, the election of another minority government means we’ll be doing this all over again sooner than later. Oh sure, all the parties are talking about making the next Parliament work, with perhaps different combinations teaming up to pass legislation on an […]
One of the longest campaigns in recent memory—and the first held in the dead of winter in 25 years—culminates this coming Monday when Canadians go to the polls to elect a new government. Please be sure to make your mark. Voter turnout has been dismal in the last few federal […]
