By Ken Kellar
Editor
kkellar@fortfrances.com

Ann Rousseau pled guilty to one count of mail theft under Canada’s Criminal Code last Thursday, May 8, 2025 at the Fort Frances Courthouse. Rousseau, a 59-year-old woman from LaVallee, is facing charges related to the theft of mail from the Fort Frances Post Office, resulting from a joint investigation […]

By Laura Balanko-Dickson
Staff writer
lbalankodickson@fortfrances.com

The more school students miss, the worse off their overall outcome in life could be. Post-pandemic data from the Rainy River District School Board shows a rise in chronic absenteeism among students in the region. Beth Fairfield, Superintendent of Education for RRDSB, said this is especially true for First Nations […]

By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

In an April 28 meeting of Fort Frances Town Council, a bylaw was enacted to sign an agreement with LiveBarn Inc. to provide online video streaming services for the Ice For Kids Arena and ‘52 Canadians arena. At the April 14 meeting of council, a report was presented by Human […]

From Riverside Health Care Board of Directors
Press release

As announced in March, Riverside Health Care launched focused fundraising efforts aimed at further advancing health care across the Rainy River District. The evolving landscape of our health care organization that provides services in multiple communities and across much of the continuum of care requires us to increasingly adapt to […]

By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

On Saturday, May 24, Séan McCann, former singer and multi-instrumentalist in Newfoundland folk rock band Great Big Sea, will bring some of the band’s music to Fort Frances along with some of the music he’s created since the band dissolved. McCann announced he would be leaving Great Big Sea in […]

Press release

(NORTH BAY, ONT.) — Cementation Canada Inc., in partnership with Big Grassy First Nation LP, has received the 2025 Indigenous Partnership Award from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). The award, presented annually by CIM, recognizes groups that demonstrate significant and ongoing contributions to advancing Indigenous reconciliation […]

From Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Services
Press release

At approximately 16:16 CST yesterday afternoon, Monday, May 12, 2025, Fort Frances Fire Rescue responded to a reported salvage fire in the industrial park on Pit Road 2. Crews acted quickly to contain and control the fire, successfully preventing further spread. Mutual aid was requested for tanker support, with Alberton […]

Thunder Bay District Health Unit is reporting a lab-confirmed case of measles. The individual acquired the infection through international travel and is now recovering at home. The public health investigation is unfolding. At this time, TBDHU is following up directly with known contacts, with a focus on those at higher […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

With rain finally in the forecast for the Thunder Bay area, provincial firefighters continued on Monday to make progress on fires that had ignited near the city. A small fire that had sparked up seven kilometres northeast of the municipality was declared out on Sunday, according to Ontario’s Aviation, Forest […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

Oliver Paipoonge has added itself to the list of rural Thunder Bay-area communities that have implemented municipal fire bans as the risk of new wildland fires heats up. Under the Oliver Paipoonge ban that took effect Friday at 8 a.m. “no burning will be allowed in the municipality until the […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Thunder Bay Source

Premier Doug Ford’s Tories are exploiting the tariff war to sidestep the government’s duty to consult First Nations, the NDP MPP for Kiiwetinoong says. Sol Mamakwa told Newswatch in an interview Friday that Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, is an attack on First Nations’ rights. […]

By Abdul Matin Sarfraz
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s National Observer

Premier Doug Ford is adding his controversial Highway 401 mega-tunnel to Ontario’s official funding wishlist for Ottawa, rebranding the widely-panned idea as a national priority. But critics are again raising the alarm, calling the proposal environmentally reckless, politically calculated and wildly unrealistic in cost and feasibility. The request came in a letter last […]