By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

A new business will help you get the piercing you’ve always wanted, in a safe and clean environment. Looking for a fresh start, Jaymee Martin decided to leave Calgary and spend some time living with her mom in Fort Frances. During her time in town, she noticed a gap in […]

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

If you’re wondering if regularly scheduled commercial flights will return to Fort Frances since Bearskin stopped its service to the airport, you’re not alone. While no agreement has been reached so far between the airport and a commercial airline, that could change this year, according to Tom Batiuk, airport supervisor […]

By Times Staff

The Rainy River District OPP are looking for assistance from the region following an incident in Fort Frances. According to a release from the OPP, police are investigating an incident that occurred on Friday, February 6, 2026 around 9 a.m. in the 100-200 block of Fourth Street West in Fort […]

By Liam Oliver Neilson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
lneilson@fortfrances.com

People who have worked with Wayne Smith throughout his three-decade career all agree on the same thing about him — his ability to lead and teach. The former chief was reminded by friends and colleagues about the significance this impact made during his retirement party last week, held at the […]

By Times Staff

The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) has issued a warning about the risks of measles exposure after Manitoba Public Health reported Manitoba Ag Days last month as a likely transmission event for the contagious virus. The event, Canada’s largest indoor farm show, held between Jan. 20 and 22, 2026, at the […]

By Liam Oliver Neilson
Staff writer
lneilson@fortfrances.com

Holes were carved and rods started pulling in fish flopping on the ice during Sunday morning’s fishing derby in Rainy River, Ont. Honouring the late Rick Bourre, an active member of the Rainy River community and avid outdoorsman, the Rick Bourre Memorial Ice Fishing Derby brings the community together in […]

By Robin McCormick
West End Correspondent

A professional diver with ties to the region is at the 2026 Winter olympics, though she’s not competing. Molly Carlson, a 2024 World Aquatics High Diving World Cup gold medalist, Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competitor and content creator, is attending the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter olympics, not as […]

Laura Balanko-Dickson
Staff writer
lbalankodickson@fortfrances.com

Rainy Lake Square, the Fort Frances Museum and the former Sunny Cove Camp were on the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the Fort Frances Town Council. Rainy Lake Square saw a decline in use by about 29 per cent in 2025 over the prior year, according to a report by […]

By Sandi Krasowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

A partnership between LiUNA (Labourers’ International Union of North America) Local 607 Training Centre, Lakehead District School Board, Superior-Greenstone District School Board and Matawa First Nations is delivering industry-recognized safety training, hands-on skilled trades experience and certification for Indigenous youths across Northwestern Ontario through its Indigenous Skilled Trades Training (ISTT) […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

As snowmobilers embrace what’s shaping up to be a stellar sledding season two years in a row, provincial police are reminding riders of the sport’s deadly downside. “Tragically, seven people have died in snowmobile incidents in OPP jurisdictions since the beginning of the 2025-26 riding season,” an OPP news release […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Thunder Bay Source

ANIMAKEE WA ZHING — To visit friends and relatives in Minnesota, members of one First Nation must cross the Canada-U.S. border three times. Chief Linda McVicar says her members haven’t had any trouble making the trip — so far. The Animakee Wa Zhing 37 chief told Newswatch the triple border […]

By Carl Clutchey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Chronicle-Journal

A vehicle procession in honour of a young Kakabeka Falls woman who died last week in a highway crash near the village is set to start on Saturday morning. The procession for 28-year-old Cheyenne Mae Vaillant is to leave the Thunder Bay Speedway and travel to the Kakabeka Falls Legion. […]