Duane Hicks
Fort Frances and the rest of Rainy River District must be prepared for economic opportunities stemming from present and future mining activity here.
That’s the message Geoff Gillon, regional economic developer for the Rainy River Future Development Corp., relayed to town council during an activity report at Monday night’s regular meeting.
Gillon said the community is in a state of “transition.”
“I think we’ve got uncertainty on both sides at the moment, with the paper mill and the future of what’s happening there, but the mining industry in and of itself is still a bit uncertain,” he conceded.
“While there’s lots of exploration, no one’s announced a mine.
“That being said, as a community, we have to look forward to the potential of a mine, either Rainy River Resources or Osisko, northeast of Atikokan,” Gillon stressed.
“Both of those will impact the community in a significant manner, so it’s incumbent on us, as a community, to become more prepared, understand the industry, understand how it works, meet the principals of all the companies that are doing exploration around the community, and then bring that to the community, the council, and to the businesses,” he noted.
Gillon said that when there are future sessions with the mining companies active here, local business people need to come out and meet the principals and get a sense of how they do business.
“It’s not like in the past, where we have one paper company and everything flowing into Fort Frances,” he warned.
“You’ve five, six, seven mining exploration companies out there now,” he explained. “They all have different purchasing systems, you have different areas where their headquarters are, you have different personnel coming and going all the time.
“It’s more active from a business point of view,” Gillon said. “You have to be more active, you have to get out and get to know the industry, and find the opportunities where your business and your product would fit.
“Our goal is facilitation and gaining knowledge on the industry as it’s going forward.”
Over the winter, the RRFDC has:
•prepared new marketing materials promoting the Fort Frances area as “Canada’s next mining district”;
•facilitated sessions with Osisko and Rainy River Resources, which they hope to do again in the near future;
•attended the Canadian Association of Mining Supply and Services conference and the Manitoba Mining Show;
•worked with a mining supply company to acquire space on Scott Street; and
•attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto.
The RRFDC also will be attending the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association conference in Thunder Bay next week, and also is working on a mining services director for Fort Frances and Rainy River District.
In related news, several members of council urged Gillon to more heavily promote the fact that, thanks to the historic power agreement here, Fort Frances has the lowest hydro rates in the province whenever he showcases the town as a place for businesses—mining and otherwise—to set up shop.
