On June 28, 2022 the Rainy River District Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in partnership with the Township of Chapple will be opening a new Community Policing Office, located within the Community Hall at 140 Main Street, Barwick, Ontario.  Community Policing Offices (CPO) are a connection between police […]

By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

Last Friday Couchiching First Nation was the site of Treaty 3’s second annual 2SLGBTQ+ Powwow. The event was coordinated by the Treaty 3 Two-Spirit Youth Council. In 2021 Grand Council Treaty 3 added a two-spirit council to its governance structure under the leadership of Grand Chief Francis Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was […]

By Daniel Adam
Staff Writer
dadam@fortfrances.com

Best for Kitty, a local organization dedicated to finding permanent homes for lost or abandoned felines, is looking for volunteers. A Facebook post on their page from June 21 says they desperately need volunteers to deliver cats and kittens on fairly short notice to places like Rainy River, Dryden, or […]

By Shari Narine
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com

Pope Francis will be in Maskwacis for no more than one hour on July 25, but the repercussions are already being felt and will continue to be felt long after. “We’re trying to assess it right now,” said Ermineskin Chief Randy Ermineskin. As the pre-planning stage begins, memories and feelings […]

By Owen Fullerton
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
YGK News

Indigenous community members have spoken out strongly against plans for a “sacred fire” in the Kingston area being shared online by far right movements. With expectations of yet another freedom convoy rolling towards Ottawa, the Facebook page “Ron Clarke Freedom Advocate” advertised plans for the lighting of a sacred fire […]

Press release

(FORT FRANCES, ON) – Members of the Rainy River District Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to 254 occurrences between Monday June 13, 2022 to Sunday June 19, 2022, including: The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding the public about their online reporting system as an alternative to having […]

By Daniel Adam
Staff Writer
dadam@fortfrances.com

In the months leading up to the provincial election, Doug Ford promised $763 million for nursing retention incentives, in the form of $5,000, but local nurses are still waiting for their pay. Payments to individuals were to come in two instalments of $2,500 — one this spring and another in […]

By Daniel Adam
Staff Writer
dadam@fortfrances.com

Some local voices are joining a growing chorus of Canadian border town mayors, who are calling on the federal government to scrap the ArriveCAN app. After Ottawa announced the loosening of vaccination requirements and travel restrictions, many question the app’s purpose. “With all the restrictions begin lifted, you wonder if […]

By Jack Elliott
Special to the Times

Lions Clubs. We’ve all seen them. But if you are like many, you may have wondered, ”What do they do?”, “What do they stand for?”, “Why should I care or help out?” In the simplest terms the Lions mission statement is “We Serve.” Lions Clubs serve the many needs they […]

By Bryce Rudolph

We all started off with the reading of the minutes from the last meeting from the secretary, Addison Brown. Then we did our pledge as usual. After the 4H pledge, we took our steer and heifer food like beef and diary ration, oats, corn and pellets. We put them in […]

By Allan Bradbury
Staff Writer
abradbury@fortfrances.com

Last Friday, Justin Boshey walked from Crossroads Public School in Devlin all the way to Fort Frances in an effort to raise awareness of the addiction issues communities in the area are facing. Boshey is an addictions worker from Lac La Croix First Nation. He said he feels not enough […]

Press release

At the June 20, 2022 Special Board Meeting, the Rainy River District School Board approved the 2022‐2023 balanced budget of $58,365,458. As identified during budget consultations, the 2021-2022 budget contains increased support for mental health professional services in the schools, as well as increased support for Autism Support Workers and […]