It’s too early to start popping the champagne corks on word last week that the provincial government is putting together a “package” to help our ailing forest industry. Premier Dalton McGuinty was decidedly vague about what the package may contain, other than to say it would resemble similar deals the […]
Editorials
There’s an old saying in Rainy River District that if it rains in August, it must be Emo Fair week. But while Mother Nature has not always smiled on the 105-year-old event, residents from right across the district certainly look forward to it every year. And rightly so. The Rainy […]
A paper mill dominates the skyline right smack in the middle of town, and a major east-west rail line dissects it. For U.S. visitors coming to Canada for the first time, driving through an industrial complex isn’t exactly conducive to leaving a good initial impression. Despite these drawbacks, however, many […]
Communities across Northwestern Ontario are rallying around Kenora in the wake of Abitibi-Consolidated’s announcement last week that it is shutting down one machine at its paper mill there and idling the other one indefinitely in October. But while critics lament the fact it takes a shocking headline to maybe make […]
After first mulling over extending Daylight Savings Time an extra two months, the United States now is all but certain to extend it by a few weeks—from the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November (instead of from early April through the end of October)—starting this fall. […]
The 2005 Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship is off to a rousing start—and the anglers haven’t even hit the water yet. The real action gets underway tomorrow morning when the 136 teams vying for the $50,000 first prize head off across Sand Bay in search of the “big ones” to […]
Imagine being afraid to enjoy “Wing Night” at the Rendez-Vous in case a suicide bomber is lurking in the crowd. Or heading to Pither’s Point Park to cool off on a hot, sunny day worried that someone may have buried an explosive device along the beach. Or even walking down […]
Former long-time councillor Sharon Tibbs, a mayoral candidate in the last municipal election, raises some excellent points in her Letter to the Editor this week that offers her take on the raging debate over higher sewer and water rates town council is mulling over. Lost sight in the bickering amongst […]
Principal Gord McCabe, during his opening remarks at Fort Frances High School’s graduation ceremony last Thursday evening, acknowledged the “over 190 lives . . . over 190 different roads taken to get here . . . over 190 sets of dreams.” But while Thursday’s ceremony certainly was a time to […]
After such a cool, wet, and downright dreary spring, the mood among district residents is decidedly more upbeat given that the sun has been shining for eight-straight days now (not counting the thunderstorms that rumbled through here Sunday night). And more summer-like weather is in the forecast, including temperatures in […]
First, the good news: the provincial government finally has acknowledged that the forestry industry in Northwestern Ontario is in crisis. The bad news is the McGuinty Liberals have taken the wrong tack in trying to solve the problem. “The forest industry in Ontario is in crisis,” reads the first line […]
International Falls city council is out to promote better co-operation with Fort Frances, forming a “Border Sister Cities Task Force” at its meeting Monday night. While that’s a welcomed gesture, and something Fort Frances should join in on, one hopes this effort actually produces concrete results rather than just talk […]
