Bob Dylan probably said it best:
“The Times, they are a-changin’.”
I don’t imagine Dylan had the Fort Frances Times in mind when he wrote that song in the early 60s (though we were here when he did) but it’s apropos of both the situation I find myself in now, and the situations many of us are facing each morning we wake up and check the daily news.
The times are indeed “a-changin’.”
We here in Ontario are faced with a provincial election before the end of the month. The Liberal party that has led Canada over the better part of a decade is dealing with the necessary task of choosing its new leader. And then, sooner rather than later, I think, all Canadians will be called to the ballot box to decide our next Federal Government.
All of this is in addition to a whirlwind of change blowing at us from our neighbours to the south. This week alone, we weathered the tempest of President Trump’s tariff threats, a Sword of Damocles we have not avoided, just managed to punt a little further down the road. Who knows what emergencies next week will bring? Those temporarily delayed threats have mobilized many across the country to make changes of their own, re-examining just how tightly they are willing to be bound to a country that was once our friend, and thus choosing to spend their money on products and materials produced closer to home.
Speaking of closer to home, the Rainy River District is also experiencing the changes inherent to any collection of small municipalities. Friends, family and professionals leave us for other places while new faces arrive to fill the spaces left behind. Owners of longtime businesses like Leon’s in Fort Frances decide the time has come to close their doors and move onto the next chapters of their lives, while yet more entrepreneurs take that first step towards making their dream business a reality. Municipal leaders do their best to figure out how to best serve their changing communities while also balancing out the very real financial burdens they are increasingly facing.
And, in the midst of all of it, I find myself chosen to fill the seat of editor of the Fort Frances Times.
This must, I think, be a prerequisite to the position. My predecessor came onto the job on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic changing the world forever, so I suppose it’s only fair I have a few imminent changes on a national and international scale to deal with as I start.
What doesn’t change, now or in the future, is my commitment to this paper, but more importantly, my commitment to you, our readers. Since I began here in 2019, I have worked to bring you news of our communities that I think is important, relevant, and timely. I have reported on countless district events, covered myriad meetings, delved into documents to determine what information is most necessary to be shared, and overall tried my best to live up to the ethical and legal standards set by my profession, my teachers, my colleagues, and myself.
– Ken Kellar