Fort Frances demanded change, and change is what Fort Frances got.
Mostly.
The unofficial results of the 2026 municipal election in Fort Frances were read out by town clerk Chelsea Greig at the Fort Frances Civic Centre on Monday night. Brent Calder has been elected to lead the town through the next four years as its mayor, and the council that will be supporting him is half comprised of new faces.
For an election that remained too close for most of us to call, it’s likely the final council lineup isn’t quite what you expected, or even what you voted for. Some elected members of council enjoyed quite a bit of support, but even the least-voted-for members of this new council still had an admirable number of votes when all is said and done.
Looking at the numbers and faces of our new council, it seems that while the town had an appetite for change, they also saw value in keeping some of the experience built over the last term. This new council, then, won’t have to scramble when it takes office in just less than a month, but make no mistake; people will be watching and expecting them to hit the ground running.
First, where it is due: credit to our last term of council and those who served the town for the last four years. I mentioned it in our special election edition editorial, and I repeat it here because it bears repeating: stepping forward to serve the town as an elected official isn’t an easy job, and yet these people volunteered their time to do so for the betterment of the town. You may have a differing opinion of how successful they were, but anyone who feels enough passion for their town to put their name forward to serve is to be lauded.
Likewise, a thank you to those who ran in this election and were not chosen by the people of Fort Frances. Your efforts are no less for not being part of this sitting council. You offered to serve, and we thank you for putting your name forward.
Now, time to get to work.
The people of Fort Frances have voiced that they are looking for something new in this term of council. The last term of council had several notable achievements under its belt, but was also hampered by the resignation of two elected members, the late-season appointment of two new councillors to replace them, and several very high-profile issues that were not resolved. Whether you feel the last term of council was overall successful or not likely revolves around how you feel council handled those issues: Sunny Cove, the Hallett, the proposed roundabout, the Shevlin Woodyard, our housing crisis, our economic woes.
The success of this council will lie, in the eyes of many voters, in how it tackles these prominent issues. There will be no universally popular decision. Some residents might not have strong attachments to the Hallett or to Sunny Cove, and others will think the long-term savings of installing a roundabout will offset the upfront costs. But these decisions are not for us to make.
That is what a council does, and it is why we elect them. If you had a concern one way or another about these issues, then you hopefully spoke to each candidate, or listened when others asked them, and you voted in line with the way they intend to move forward.
But to our new councillors and mayor: where do you draw the line? I asked in my last editorial if it was the job of the council to make unpopular decisions that were in the town’s best interest. I have no answer to that, but it demands consideration. If we elect a council to serve us, then are they not beholden to making the best possible choice for us, even when it might be the most unpopular one?
You have been elected to a difficult and thankless job, and the town thanks you for it.
Just maybe don’t expect to hear those words too often.
