Duane Hicks
The mill, condos, a casino, downtown parking, and expanding the landfill site are just a handful of items the town will be looking at over the next few years.
Following up on a day-long strategic planning session last month at Sunny Cove Camp, town council and administration met Monday afternoon to receive a draft of the newest strategic plan and approve a timeline for completing objectives.
Mayor Roy Avis said the strategic planning session June 11 was full of productive dialogue.
At the end of the day, the plan was taken back by management, which then put it all together and set target dates for council’s approval.
“I think it’s a very, very good plan,” the mayor said. “There are some controversial items in it . . . but I those things will work their way up, I think, as it goes back to committee.”
Mayor Avis also feels council will meet the target dates set out in the plan.
He noted council was very successful with its last strategic plan, with only a few items back for further review in this one.
But then again, the town is in a different situation than it was four years ago.
“When we did our last plan, did we think that Resolute was not going to be operating at this time? No, we didn’t,” Mayor Avis admitted.
“There’s been a lot of changes in the community, as well, so some of them have to come back and be looked at again,” he explained.
The topics listed below will be discussed by the pertinent executive committees, boards, and individuals, with the expectation that they will make recommendations back to council by the noted completion dates.
Economic and
community development
•Re-purpose the mill—the town will continue its ongoing efforts, working with Resolute Forest Products and the private sector, to identify possible buyers for the existing mill facility (October, 2015);
•Industrial park strategy—the town will examine the current policies regarding the marketing of the industrial park lots and make possible amendments (October, 2015);
•Beautification/revitalization—the town will examine the recommendations put forth by the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce regarding the beautification and revitalization of the Town of Fort Frances (November, 2015);
•Condo initiative review—the town will re-examine the progress made to date with the condo initiative, make alterations to the project where required, and seek out a potential developer (June, 2016);
•Downtown parking—the town will examine matters of parking within the downtown core, and consult with all relevant stakeholders, to ensure the most efficient and effective utilization of public parking spaces (June, 2016);
•Sports tourism initiative—the town will examine all aspects and potential opportunities related to sports tourism within the community, including the potential for expansion of existing services and event offerings (September, 2016);
•Investigate the expansion of free wi-fi—the town will investigate the viability of expanding free wi-fi offered in the community (March, 2017);
•Review of residential development—an examination of potential subdivision development of town-owned properties (May, 2017);
•Casino development—the town will work in conjunction with neighbouring First Nations on a casino project to be located within the area (September, 2017);
•Information infrastructure—the town will look at the potential enhancement of broadband infrastructure within the town, potentially considering the installation of an enhanced fibre-optic network within the community (February, 2018);
•Potential acquisition/utilization of vacated mill properties—examinations of any properties the current or future mill owners may want to divest
themselves of for potential use by the town (ongoing during this term of council);
•Forest management structure—the town will continue its advocacy efforts to ensure an effective management of the Crossroute Forest to ensure access to affordable fibre is available for all existing and future forestry enterprises in the district (ongoing initiative of council); and
•Explore First Nations’ business partnership opportunities—the town actively will engage and support all area First Nation communities regarding all potential business partner opportunities (ongoing initiative of council);
Governance and
corporate initiatives
•Website re-design and maintenance—the town currently is undergoing a total revamp of its website (September, 2015);
•Huffman Court subdivision—the town will re‐examine the marketing of the vacant lots within the Huffman subdivision and also will reconsider the current development conditions pertaining to the purchase of vacant lots (September, 2015);
•Museum services—the town will review its museum operations and the current levels of service (October, 2015);
•Sewer and water agreement—the town will work towards completing a formalized sewer and water agreement with Couchiching First Nation (November, 2015);
•Organizational succession planning and training—the town will examine the composition of its current workforce to anticipate future recruiting needs and developmental opportunities for the purpose of succession planning (November, 2015);
•Corporate software needs—the town will investigate software options which may offer electronic billing and related services to its customers, as well as investigate innovative, integrated municipal financial, asset, and utility management software to enhance customer service and administrative efficiencies (December, 2015);
•Update of the fire services bylaw—the town will complete an update of its establishing and regulating fire services bylaw, taking into account the changing face of the community and its needs and services (February, 2016);
•Inventory of municipal land—the town will update its existing inventory of all classes of municipally-owned land (industrial, residential, and commercial) and provide a detailed listing (February, 2016);
•Terms of reference—the town will undertake a review and develop a updated terms of reference and modernize the application process for boards and committees (April, 2016);
•”Boundless” brand—the town will ensure a complete and effective implementation of the recent branding initiative is implemented throughout the community and its operations (October, 2016);
•Alternative voting—the town will perform a thorough examination of alternative voting opportunities for the 2018 municipal election, in the interest of cost savings and ease of use for voters (March, 2017);
•Sustainable Community Plan—the town will hire a consultant to complete a community plan that addresses environmental, social, and economic sustainability strategies to ensure long-term sustainability (March, 2018); and
•Accessibility Act compliance—the town will ensure full compliance with all aspects of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act by meeting its legislated requirements during the implementation process and contributing toward a fully Accessible Ontario by the year 2025 (ongoing initiative).
Essential services
•Infrastructure renewal—the degradation of the town’s infrastructure necessitates an investigation into the its asset renewal program (September, 2016);
•Future of health care services—the town will work towards forming a committee with Riverside Health Care, the Fort Frances Community Clinic, and the Physician Recruitment Committee to examine the challenges and opportunities regarding the delivery of health care in Fort Frances (October, 2016); and
•Landfill expansion—the town will develop a request for proposal package for a consulting service to expand upon the existing landfill site (March, 2017).
Quality of life services
•Sister Kennedy Centre—the town will conduct an operational review of activities and management of the Sister Kennedy Centre facility, in conjunction with its volunteer workforce (October, 2015);
•Day care services—the town will review expansion opportunities into infant and toddler programs to address the growing waiting list for licensed child-care services in the community (May, 2016);
•Tennis courts—the town will examine its role in supporting the construction, design, and ongoing maintenance of future tennis court development (May, 2016);
•Sunny Cove Camp—the town will investigate the long-term use and potential of the camp for youth programming and economic development opportunities (November, 2016);
•“Age Friendly Community”—the town will strive toward attaining the “Age Friendly Community” designation to realize funding opportunities which support the health and wellness of older adults in the community (November, 2016);
•Transportation options—the town will investigate public-private partnership options for transportation to enhance the “Dial-a-Ride” service and transportation services for individuals in the community whose mobility may be limited by functional disabilities (October, 2017);
•Active Transportation Plan—recommendations for Phase II of the Active Transportation Plan will be presented to council (November, 2017); and
•Assisted living—the town will support initiatives undertaken by the Assisted Living Action Group, through consultation and the provision of assistance that is within the town’s capabilities and in conjunction with other local authorities (ongoing initiative).
