When is a park a park, and what makes it a park? Is it the presence of playground equipment like swings and teeter-totters? Is it just green space, without evidence of construction or human interference? While one open space in town has been eyed for residential development, a playground across […]
Editorials
Ten years and still going strong. After months of meticulous planning, the dedicated work of hundreds of volunteers, and the tireless support of the community, the 10th annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship has finally come to a close. It was a week of “fun, friends, and fishing,” as one […]
Offering a first prize of $50,000 to celebrate its 10th year, as well as inviting back all the past winners, another Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship is off to a roaring start. Festivities began Sunday with 39 teams plying Rainy Lake in hopes of capturing the Kid-Pro title. Monday night […]
This is no time to be walking around wearing rose-coloured glasses. Fort Frances, as well as Rainy River District on the whole, face their share of problems these days—higher taxes and user fees, fewer services, the closure of small businesses, and the steady outmigration of our youth. Yet, while we […]
Much has been spoken in the last week regarding the resolution—supported by the mayor and three councillors—to include a full set of health benefits to the remuneration package of members of council. Councilors are elected officials. They serve at the will of the electorate and are not considered full-time employees. […]
While the rest of Canada was focused on the federal election Monday night, some members of Fort Frances town council were focused on giving themselves a whopping 36 percent salary increase. The salary increase is the cost of the benefits package that will be 100-percent paid by the town. One […]
When Rainy River District was ripped from Kenora last year by some brainy bureaucrats in Ottawa, and then attached to the old Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding, the big fear was whether the same thing would happen at the provincial level. It appears the writing is on the wall. If you recall, […]
Premier Dalton McGuinty certainly spouted off every bit of rhetoric on democracy he could muster when he introduced legislation at Queen’s Park that, if passed, would set the first Thursday in October as the date provincial elections would be held every four years. “Elections do not belong to premiers to […]
Picture in your mind, for a moment, the young men who will be crossing the stage inside the Ice for Kids Arena later this month to receive their high school diplomas. Perhaps one of them is your son or grandson, a brother or nephew. And no doubt they’ll be grinning […]
Hopefully the mayor, those councillors who support “bag tags,” and town administration aren’t expecting residents to spill into the streets of Fort Frances in joyful thanks for being graciously allowed one free bag of garbage a week, as well as the continued privilege of using the big green bags and […]
Finance minister Greg Sorbara delivered his budget and it has thundered like a cold wash cloth across the face. Ontarians have, for several years, lived beyond their means and the changes unleashed by the Liberal government will have a long, lasting impact. We have complained about waiting times for surgery, […]
District motorists were shocked to see prices at the pumps skyrocket about 10 cents a litre practically overnight late last week to hit what’s believed to be the highest price ever for gasoline here. And the summer season—typically a time when gas costs more anyway due to higher consumer demand—hasn’t […]
