Heather Latter
The Fort Frances Wellness Committee didn’t get the outcome it was hoping for in the recent “Tbaytel for Good” competition after being unable to garner enough votes to move onto the semi-final round.
The group was seeking funds for upgrades to the fitness facilities at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“People were having a really hard time voting,” noted Ian McKay, a local personal trainer who sits on the committee, saying there seemed to be difficulties in voting from cellphones.
“A lot of people aren’t at their computers anymore—they are on their phones,” he remarked.
Still, McKay said the effort did help bring awareness to the issue and the committee.
“It became a little bit more of a conversation at least and that’s important,” he reasoned.
McKay noted their submission received enough “views” to become a semi-finalist.
“But we didn’t have enough votes,” he explained, saying their “idea” ended up with 1,347 votes and 3,072 views.
That ranked seventh out of the 12 ideas vying for the funds, with the top three moving on to the semi-finals.
“People were signing in and looking at it, but didn’t complete the voting process,” McKay said.
“But it’s okay because this was also about creating more awareness and I think it did that.”
Despite the missed opportunity, the Wellness Committee continues to seek funding from other sources.
“We have about 12 grants going through provincially, federally, and just small charitable things that we’ve submitted to, so we’re just waiting to hear back on those,” he noted.
McKay expects they’ll hear back about seven of the grants in the new year.
“Three have already fallen through so we will re-submit and find other ones,” he vowed.
“We’re actively pursuing more funds, and we’re trying to keep it away from tax increases and fundraising for right now.”
McKay said a lot of people don’t realize that town residents pay taxes for this facility.
“That’s why if we can keep the costs down by raising money ourselves, taxes won’t be brought up and our facility will get a little better,” he reasoned.
“We want to be more accessible,” he stressed. “We’re in an aging community, with geriatric care, and very little opportunity for exercise.”
For instance, McKay said it would be nice to do geriatric care in the pool.
“We just don’t really know why these things aren’t happening,” he remarked.
“The chair is available but we’re not utilizing them as much as they could.
“What I really want, with all these votes, the petition, everything that’s happened thus far, is that town council will take a really hard look and realize that we have a very aging community and we have to make everything available for them,” he reiterated.
McKay also wants the Memorial Sports Centre to be accessible to youth.
“We’re having a higher rate of disgruntled youth and things like having a gym available that’s more accessible, more affordable creates that opportunity to take away some of these somewhat negative things that the youth are getting into,” he suggested.
But he also said there’s a lot going on at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“I always say it is the hub of the community,” he remarked, citing the hockey tournaments, squash tournaments, and swim meets held there.
“You go there to be social, you go there for your kids, for yourself, and to be such a pinnacle point, yet somewhat overlooked, is unfortunate,” he lamented.
But with the attention gained through the committee’s efforts, McKay said things at the Sportsplex are moving in the right direction.
“[The town] did purchase new dumbbells and cleanliness has been brought up, so things are starting to take off,” he noted.
“We have seen some forward steps there and those little small changes have created a more optimistic feeling in the Sportsplex.”
McKay added the town is aware of the issues and taking care of them to the best of its ability.
“They also have it as part of their 2016 budget,” he noted, though admitted he’s not sure where they are going to be allocating the funds.
“It’s not like nothing is getting done,” he conceded. “It just takes time.
“When more opportunities arise to gain that funding, there’s more opportunity to better the facility,” he reasoned.
McKay said the Wellness Committee is looking for a facelift for the facility, as well as newer, updated equipment.
“Just create that ‘Boundless’ atmosphere for people, create a comfortable space to feel well and that they can accomplish something,” he stressed.
“A lot of people don’t realize that self-awareness creates self-respect, and self-respect is going to create more self-respect in community, so you need to have these things as a priority.
“It’s great for our town to have these facilities, but once they are in place, it’s not good enough just to be there,” McKay argued.
“We need to be adamant as a community about how we can make it better because 25 years has gone by and all it needs is a little TLC.”
Meanwhile, McKay said this is just the first initiative the Wellness Committee is targeting.
“We do want to branch out and do some mental health initiatives with [the local Canadian Mental Health Association] and a few other things,” he remarked.
“But right now the Sportsplex is our focus,” he stressed, adding they’re looking for more members to join the committee.
“We don’t want to be a voice of many, without many being heard,” he stressed.
“We feel that this committee would benefit the wellness of the community in all aspects.
“It’s not specifically about the Memorial Sports Centre,” McKay added.
“It’s about people coming together to do what they can to better the community.”
For more information, contact McKay on Facebook via “McKay Personal Training.”
