The Town of Fort Frances council approved a recommendation from the Citizen of the Year Committee’s terms of reference. This will give the committee the right to nominate eligible individuals for the Citizen of the Year should no eligible public nominations be received.
This request came after the committee received zero eligible nomination for the Citizen of the Year award in 2021. For the first time since the award’s inception in 1988, it went unclaimed in 2021.
The committee, which consists of Councillors Mike Behan and Rick Wiedenhoeft and Linda Hamilton, Irene Laing and Darlyss Krienke and Mayor June Caul, did not receive any eligible nominations from Jan. 1 to Oct. 21.
Deputy clerk Karyn Haney wrote a report to council saying Citizen of the Year Award is a prestigious award presented to a resident of the Town of Fort Frances who has made a positive contribution toward the well being of our community and its residents.
Submissions for the 2022 Citizen of the Year are now being accepted by the committee.
The rules for nominating an individual are simple and straightforward. Nominators are usually encouraged to provide a meaningful description of the nominees, and the impact of the contribution.
There are now also two categories to be considered, a Citizen of the Year, with nominees being 19 years and over, and Outstanding Youth Citizen. Nominees for the Outstanding Youth Citizen will be 18 years and younger.
Nominees also must be a citizen of the Town of Fort Frances, have contributed to their community, may have performed acts of heroism, may have made life better for others, may have excelled in personal achievements.
In 2020, the Citizen of the Year was Gaby Hanzuk, and Outstanding Youth Citizen was Ray Calder Jr. Jr.
After nominations are received and discussed by the committee, a report will be given to council to approve nominations in both categories. The mayor will then contact nominees to confirm their acceptance and a formal resolution will be passed. A formal public resolution will then recognize the recipients’ names and a presentation of awards and verbal statement acknowledging their contributions will be presented in December.
