A local organization is bringing in a special guest speaker to mark Men’s Health Awareness and Diabetes Awareness months in the district with a community event.
The Rainy River District Ontario Health Team (RRDOHT) will be hosting a free, all-ages event on Monday, November 3, 2025, titled “Conversations for Mind and Body: A Community Health Awareness Event” beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the Fort Frances High School cafeteria. The event will feature an interactive health and wellness showcase in the main cafeteria area from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., at which point those attending will be welcomed into the Townshend Theatre to hear from Tyler Smith, a survivor of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and winner of The Amazing Race Canada.
The RRDOHT is one of many Ontario Health Teams across the province designed by the Ministry of Health to help existing health care organizations shape and deliver care that is more connected to patients in their local communities. Local partners of the RRDOHT include Atikokan Health and Community Services, Canadian Mental Health Association Fort Frances, Giishkaandago’Ikwe Health Services, Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre, Fort Frances Family Health Team, Northwestern Health Unit, District of Rainy River Services Board and Riverside Health Care.
According to RRDOHT communications lead Amanda Roy, the event promises to be positive and informative for those who are able to attend, but there are also steps being taken to make sure as many people as possible can take in the event even if they can’t be there physically.
“We’re putting together a positive, informative and inspirational package for our Fort Frances residents and others in the district who can make the trip,” Roy said.
“As a group dedicated to connecting care across our district, it was important to us to make district-wide participation possible for the keynote, and we’re excited to be able to offer that livestream option to people as far out as Atikokan and Rainy River.”
The health and wellness showcase will bring in local health and community organizations, including wellness advocates, to help inform visitors on their offerings, get supports, ask questions and engage with interactive displays. The RRDOHT said the showcase will also focus on strategies for both physical and mental health, and will include additional resources for diabetes awareness and prevention, mental health supports and local programs.
“It’s a welcoming, inclusive space for people of all ages to connect, share, and discover new ways to care for themselves and their community,” the RRDOHT said.
According to the RRDOHT, Smith is a podcaster and public speaker, as well as the founder of Not Alone Co., a mental health awareness clothing line dedicated to starting honest conversations around trauma, PTSD and healing.
The keynote speech from Smith is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Townshend Theatre, and the RRDOHT said the speech has been made possible thanks to a community event that raised money for men’s mental health. The Fort Frances branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and inaugural Fort Frances Men’s Mental Health Memorial Basketball Tournament, which was held in memory of Joey Angus and Will Anderson, helped to bring Smith and his talk to Fort Frances.
“The tournament gave us an incredible way to honour people we lost, raise awareness about men’s mental health to reduce the stigma that prevents our loved ones from getting the help and support that they need,” said Executive Director of Canadian Mental Health Association Fort Frances Branch Charlene Strain.
“I believe being able to use the funds raised for the cause to help bring Tyler to Fort Frances to spread the message to an even larger audience is a great way to make even more of a positive impact in our community.”
For those unable to attend the event in person, the keynote speech will be available to be livestreamed by registering in advance at rrdoht.ca/event.
