The year opened with the surprisingly bitter byelection campaign (eventually won by Ken Perry over former town councillor Todd Hamilton), which then spawned a heated—and at times nasty—debate over whether a “succession” bylaw should be adopted to fill future council vacancies. And it ends with residents facing a municipal tax hike (thanks, in large part, to a reassessment for the local mill, though partially offset by more money coming in from the province), coupled with another hike in user fees and looming jumps again in sewer and water rates.
In between, 2008 brought a myriad of stories that reflected both the good and not-so-good sides of life in Rainy River District.
Perhaps the lowest point of the year came in February when a disparaging video of a pow-wow dance by a group of players on the Muskie girls’ hockey squad somehow surfaced on the Internet. It was a painful lesson to the young ladies on how inappropriate behaviour may not always remain private while also costing the team a potentially successful playoff run due to the rash of late-season suspensions that followed suit.
At the same time, it brought to light racial tensions that seem to be simmering just beneath the surface at Fort Frances High School (and the community at large). On the bright side, an ensuing anti-racism walk held on Good Friday by the local Right Relations Circle, coupled with other healing events, hopefully spur a renewed effort to truly combat this problem.
Meanwhile, it was a vexing summer for motorists with the continued construction of the Central Avenue area and Portage Avenue underpass, the latter of which will drag into a third year this coming spring. Delays also can be expected again next year as work continues on a five-year revamp of the Noden Causeway.
But even here there was a bright side. The influx of crews, both for the road work and biomass boiler construction, was a boon for the local economy in the wake of reduced tourist traffic this year.
It also was the summer of no outdoor, non-essential use of water due to an overhaul at the water tower. Fortunately, the vast majority of residents heeded the ban, though cool, wet weather for much of June and July helped keep lawns green and gardens growing. And again on the bright side, it made people more conscious of their water usage while providing an opportunity to promote “green” alternatives like rain barrels.
Without doubt the “scariest” incident of 2008 was the gas leak and subsequent blast/fire at J.W. Walker School, which forced the evacuation of nearby homes. Fortunately, it happened in the middle of the night when students weren’t in class and so the potential impact wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Nonetheless, the incident was a testament to the professionalism of local emergency services and civic administration to keep the situation calm and under control.
The most poignant moment occurred on the morning of Friday, Oct. 10 with the unveiling of the Dance Fire monument near the Lanny LaBelle property up Highway 611 North that coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Thanksgiving Day blaze in 1938 that claimed 17 lives. “Dance is on Fire!” by Neil MacQuarrie, released this fall, provides an excellent account of that tragic day.
And under the “You can fight city hall” banner, neighbourhood residents were successful in convincing council to keep the so-called Nelson Street Park as “green space” rather than rezoned as “residential,” though the fight also highlighted the lack of space for new housing lots here in town.
There was a rash of other news, of course, including NDP candidate John Rafferty defeating Liberal incumbent Ken Boshcoff here in Thunder Bay-Rainy River in the Oct. 14 federal election which was equally notable for its low voter interest and turnout. There was the decision to close F.H. Huffman School and amalgamate it with the new Robert Moore School to be built, the move by Caribou to take over bus service between Fort Frances and Thunder Bay from Greyhound, complaints over changes to local programming by Shaw Cable, a deal compelling industry to consult Métis groups over development in their traditional lands, and word that Howard Hampton is stepping down as leader of the Ontario NDP.
And, of course, there’s the ongoing story of the $300,000-plus that went missing from Fort High over a three-year period.
As well, doctor recruitment remained in the spotlight this year, with late word of a looming shortage of lawyers locally which could impact residents’ access to justice down the road.
Most comforting to note, though, is that the two biggest stories of 2008 both were of the “good news” variety. At #2 is the long-awaited arrival of the CT Scanner at La Verendrye Hospital, which went operational in August and soon will be offering 24/7 service after Riverside finalized an agreement with a medical service provider just last month.
At #1 was the tremendous generosity of local residents in the “Drive for 35” fundraising blitz that boosted the local share of the new library project to more than $830,000 (well past the initial target of $750,000), which followed the major shot-in-the-arm in July when Shaw announced it was contributing $175,000 to the cause.
The building committee plans to put the project to tender in January, with construction hopefully starting in the spring.
So went the year that was. But as we turn the page on 2008 and face the new successes and challenges 2009 surely will bring, we do so with optimism that the people of Rainy River District can rise to any occasion, deal with any setback, and always support each other through thick and thin.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
