Look forward

“Devastating” was how local MP John Rafferty put it. A “final major blow,” according to Unifor. “Dismayed” was the reaction of Randy Nickle, the local Progressive Conservative candidate for the upcoming provincial election.
Tellingly, “surprising” was not among the words being bandied about yesterday over the announcement that Resolute Forest Products has decided to close its Fort Frances pulp and paper operation permanently. Although tough news to hear, it’s as if the community already was quietly resigned to the mill’s fate.
In fact, Mayor Roy Avis chose to see the decision in a positive light—noting the community can move in a new direction now that the uncertainty swirling around the mill is gone.
And as Mr. Nickle noted, Kenora suffered a similar fate several years ago but was able to diversify its economy, build events like “Harbourfest,” and revitalize the downtown area.
Fort Frances has to do the same thing.
No one is pretending it will be easy, particularly in attracting those so-called “incubator” industries to offset the loss of tax revenue from the mill assessment. But we have no choice—waving the white flag and rolling over is not an option.
What’s done is done. We have to accept that and look forward, not back.