A busy Fort Frances Town Council meeting on Monday night saw councillors deliberating on matters from fire-protection grants to a motion to reconsider the fate of Sunny Cove Camp for several hours.
“The fire department has applied for the Fire-Protection Grant for 2025-2026 for personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect from exposure and for decontamination procedures,” stated a report from Interim Fire Chief Wayne Riches. “The department was successful in the grant application.”
Council unanimously approved the signing of the agreement with Transfer Payment Ontario to receive the $19,626.05 granted to the town by the Solicitor General. “The application for the grant was for personal protective equipment to protect firefighters from exposure and decontamination procedures,” the report said.
Although he was on the fence at a Dec. 8 council meeting where it was determined the town was to sell Sunny Cove Camp, Councillor John McTaggart put forth a motion to reconsider what is to become of the former Sunny Cove Camp. “A motion to reconsider is a high bar to meet,” Mayor Andrew Hallikas said. “On this council, you need five of seven to vote in favour of the reconsideration.”
However, only three voted in favour of reconsidering the camp’s sale, McTaggart, Councillor Wendy Brunetta and Councillor Bill Morrison. Councillor Steve Maki, Councillor Mike Behan, Councillor Kaleb Firth and Hallikas voted against the proposed reconsideration of Sunny Cove’s destiny.
Lastly, council entered a closed session for more than an hour to discuss two topics: litigation related to Point Park and a departmental restructuring for the municipality.
