There certainly are plenty of things to grumble about out there. The forest industry—the main economic engine in Northwestern Ontario—is in crisis, with paper mills closing outright or curtailing production. Many communities in the region are grappling with a doctor shortage. At the same time, farmers still are recovering from […]
Editorials
Jenni Condon
“Somebody must have dared this girl, and she obviously took everyone’s advice and wore the least amount of clothes possible,” the announcer at the annual “Polar Plunge” said Sunday over a large speaker as I walked the so-called “plank” on my way to jump into a large hole cut in […]
“Get it first” is one of the main tenets of journalism. This is especially true in large markets where several daily newspapers compete with each other—and local radio and TV stations—to break a story. Toss in 24-hour news channels and the Internet and that cutthroat competition has been taken a […]
Reflecting back on 2005, Rainy River District once again saw its share of triumphs and obstacles, happy stories and sad ones, over the past 12 months. This time, however, as we get ready to turn the page to a fresh start on Sunday, many of the serious challenges this area […]
The Kiwanis skate park opened to rave reviews earlier this fall—from both local skateboarders and a few of their counterparts from out-of-town who happened to be here at the time. And it seemed to be a popular enough spot for the few weeks it was up and running before the […]
A story this week profiles Duncan Keith, a 22-year-old former Fort Frances resident now playing in his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks. Who could have known, when he was first going to public skates with his parents at the old Memorial Arena, or perhaps playing with his friends on […]
The drama that accompanied the budget vote back in May, in which Independent MP Chuck Cadman saved the minority Liberals before going back home to British Columbia to die, certainly was lacking Monday night when the Opposition parties easily defeated the government and sent Canadians to their first winter campaign […]
Perhaps because the money has been coming in over a four-year span, it’s easy to not fully comprehend just how many dollars have been raised by district residents towards our health care. The amount? A cool $3.9 million, counting the $1.5 million the Riverside Foundation for Health Care has just […]
One of the pleasures of being in the newspaper business is the opportunity to meet so many individuals who are successful in their own right. Interviewing them provides insights into who they are. They often tell us of pivotal moments in their lives that have helped define them. We believe […]
With NDP leader Jack Layton’s pronouncement Monday that his party no longer will support Paul Martin’s minority Liberal government, the buzz now emanating from Ottawa is whether Canadians will face a Christmas election campaign for the first time in a quarter-century. Let’s hope not. The only thing that forcing an […]
For those who closely followed the testimony given before the Gomery Commission earlier this spring, Justice John Gomery’s initial report on the Liberal sponsorship scandal, issued yesterday morning, contained very few bombshells. If anything, by laying the blame at the feet of former prime minister Jean Chrétien and his cronies […]
The district’s own version of the Oscars takes place Saturday night when the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce hosts its 10th-annual Business Awards Gala at La Place Rendez-Vous—and no doubt all the nominees are waiting with bated breath to hear the words, “And the winner is. . . .” But […]
