Firefighters honoured

A presentation of 20-year exemplary service medals to current and retired local firefighters was made during last night’s regular council meeting.
Those honoured included Capt. Joe Bobczynski, Capt. Hugh McKinnon, firefighters Kirk Armstrong and Rod Davis, and retired volunteer firefighter Blake Yatchuk.
Capt. Bobczynski was the only one unable to attend last night’s ceremony.
Also at last night’s meeting, council:
•deferred the executive committee chairpersons’ oral reports on division activities to the Dec. 20 meeting of council;
•referred a letter from Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship Inc., outlining numerous requests regarding the 2005 bass tournament next July, to the Administration and Finance executive committee, with input from all other executive committees, for a recommendation;
•agreed to a request from Crime Stoppers of Northwestern Ontario and Northern Minnesota to proclaim January, 2005 as “Crime Stoppers Month” in the Town of Fort Frances;
•agreed to a request from the Alzheimer Society of Kenora/Rainy River to proclaim January, 2005 as “Alzheimer Awareness Month” in the Town of Fort Frances;
•referred a request from the City of Pickering regarding financial support to secure the Victoria Cross medal of Cpl. Fred Topham to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a request from the City of North Bay for support of its resolution regarding the Community Reinvestment Fund to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation;
•agreed to a request from the Ontario Family Fishing Weekend steering committee to proclaim July-10, 2005 as “Ontario Family Fishing Weekend” in the Town of Fort Frances;
•passed a bylaw to permit the property at 824 Victoria Ave. be used as a place of worship, and eliminate the requirement to provide off-street parking;
•passed a bylaw to amend the current cemetery bylaw (the amendment includes an adjustment of hours for funerals and a change in policy regarding erection of monuments and markers);
•passed a bylaw to appoint BDO Dunwoody as auditor for the town for a one-year term commencing Jan. 1, 2005;
•passed a bylaw to enter into an agreement with the CIBC to borrow $2,141,200 over a nine-year amortization, with 3.03 percent interest in year one (this is to refinance the sum borrowed in 2003 for capital projects);
•passed a bylaw to authorize the execution of an agreement for funding of certain employment benefits and support measures with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (this is to fund a Fort Frances Museum Foundation developer);
•passed a bylaw to authorize the assignment of a lease agreement with Canadian Wilderness Outposts Ltd. at the Fort Frances Municipal Airport; and
•passed a bylaw for the regulation of traffic on highways and regulating the use of highway by pedestrians or vehicles within the municipality (this is not a new bylaw, but a consolidation of all previous town traffic bylaws into one).