By Ken Kellar
Editor
kkellar@fortfrances.com

Group circulating petition to bring the matter back before council A local sports group is fighting to keep what it sees as its home following a decision made in the Fort Frances council chambers. The Borderland Skating Club, a long-running figure skating group operating in Fort Frances, has been sounding […]

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

‘We try to do a little better each year’ Lampi Happy to do her part in helping kids and young families in need, Kathy Lampi and her team try to offset the high costs associated with the back-to-school season through Backpacks for Kids. Now headquartered in the Fort Frances Family […]

From the Northwestern Health Unit
Press release

The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) is sharing information on student health data that was collected in partnership with local secondary schools across the region during the 2024/25 school year. Among eight participating schools, 57% of students completed the survey. The COMPASS study measures health behaviors such as cannabis use, mental […]

From the Government of Ontario
Press release

Federal and provincial investment will protect Ontario’s farmers in the face of U.S. tariffs and policies TORONTO – The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $14.6 million through the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP) to help farmers make improvements to their farmland. As part of the government’s […]

From the Government of Ontario
Press release

TORONTO – This Labour Day, the Ontario government is supporting Ontario and Canadian workers by breaking down interprovincial barriers for in-demand professions such as architects, engineers, geoscientists, land surveyors, electricians and more. This historic change is part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario and Canadian workers and build a […]

By Matt Prokopchuk
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TBnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY — Ongoing studies at Lakehead University’s Agricultural Research Station into precision farming could benefit Northwestern Ontario crop yields. Muditha Heenkenda, an associate professor in the university’s department of geography and the environment, is heading research that uses drones during the spring and summer months to weekly monitor plant […]

By Maggie Macintosh
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Free Press

Six-year-old Raylynn Mercer spent much of his summer break bicycling around hotel parking lots and cuddling with his Chihuahua, Princess.  “He’s a trooper,” Irene Mercer said as she reflected on the abrupt end of her son’s first school year and uncertainty surrounding his entry into Grade 1.  “Due to fires, […]

By Jacqueline St. Pierre
Local Journalism Initiative
Reporter
The Manitoulin Expositor

M’CHIGEENG—A new report from Thomson Reuters reveals that Canada’s crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is deeply rooted not only in rural and remote communities but also in urban centres across the country. The study, ‘Missing and Stolen: Disappearances and Trafficking of Indigenous Peoples in Canada,’ identifies Winnipeg, […]

By Mike Stimpson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Thunder Bay Source

MARATHON — Construction of an Active Living Centre can commence as soon as funding is clinched, Marathon Mayor Rick Dumas said Friday. And the multi-purpose facility’s construction is vitally important as the clock ticks down on the municipal arena’s operating life, he added. Dumas said CIMCO Refrigeration, the company the […]

By David Briggs
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
BayToday.ca

Ontario’s Education Minister Paul Calandra announced he will launch “a full governance review of the Near North District School Board.” The review comes in response to the delayed opening of Parry Sound’s new JK-12 school, which was supposed to open for this Fall’s semester. The minister wrote a letter to […]

By Jacqueline St. Pierre
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Manitoulin Expositor

MANITOULIN—Once, in late summer, the skies over Manitoulin could flicker orange and black as monarch butterflies set out on their improbable journey — a multi-generational migration from Canada to the mountains of central Mexico. Today, ecologists say those numbers have dropped to “alarmingly low” levels, and without swift, coordinated action […]

From the OPP

(ORILLIA, ON) – With Ontario residents and visitors taking to highways and roads for the last long weekend of the summer, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is counting on all road users to help ensure everyone makes it to and from their destinations safely. Despite OPP officers working 24/7 across […]