Following up on the column of November 30, many different comments have come my way regarding creating subdivisions and building affordable housing. I have received more information about the growing list of job vacancies across the district. And the question remains, what attracts people to an area?
I remember listening to a company relocator talk about the issues of trying to persuade companies to relocate offices and factories to a community. One of the first questions he asked those in attendance was “What is the success rate for graduation from your high school?” The next was “What proportion of those graduating attended a college or university in the next five years for more education? And finally; “What proportion of those college and university students who graduated returned to your community?”
In the room we sat stunned and silent. We didn’t have any of that information to attract businesses and professionals to the district. We never had even considered its importance.
He then went on and asked questions about the hospital, doctor availability, parks, recreation, libraries and the statistics of available workforce and their skill levels. None of that information was available to persuade anyone to locate to the district.
This came to my mind when I saw a nephew and niece decide where they were going to live in larger centres. Their focus on choosing a neighbourhood came down to where their children could receive the best elementary and secondary education. Commute distances was not a concern. Their children’s education is foremost in their minds. They also looked at other amenities in the neighbourhood. Were there parks readily available? Was there a library close by? What were the recreation opportunities available to them as adults and for their children?
I was surprised by a couple of notable closings in the district. The first was the decision of several municipalities in the west end of the district to close the Rainy River library. It was part of the northwest regional library association which made books available from other libraries to the citizens in that area. It removed a valuable educational and recreational facility from the community.
The closing of Green Funeral Home in Fort Frances, I also find troubling. It is a needed service for the community and the inability to attract new managers to locate to the community is troubling. It has been a part of Fort Frances for almost a century.
To compete against other communities to attract the professionals we need for health care, education, and trades, we must be able to convince them, that the Rainy River district offers more than just a lifestyle but is a wonderful place to raise a family that will be successful in their future. We all realize that many of our children will discover whole new opportunities away from the community, but our selling feature should remain that the district provides every success for children to become successful adults.
Former publisher
Fort Frances Times
