Fort Frances will officially bid adieu to Sunny Cove Camp after a conflicted town council voted narrowly on Monday to put the beleaguered property up for sale after years of deliberating about its future.
Located about 10 minutes east of Fort Frances on Rainy Lake, Sunny Cove has been a beloved outdoor retreat for more than 60 years. Founded by the Kiwanis Club of Fort Frances, ownership of the camp was transferred to the town in 2009. It has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, after structural issues were found in several buildings, including Russell Hall.
“Sunny Cove means a lot to me personally, but I believe in the democratic process,” said Mayor Andrew Hallikas, who voted in favour of refurbishing the camp. “The fact that the Kiwanis club of today wants to best serve the community by selling, that ameliorates the fact that things didn’t go my way.”
“I strongly believe Sunny Cove Camp has a place in our community if it is brought up to speed. There’s a lot of potential there. It’s prime land right on the lake and so much could be done with it.”
After debating several options for the disposition of the camp, council ultimately voted 4-3 in favour of the sale.
“My concerns for my decision formulated around a lack of true vision, as well as the anticipated capacity to operate it long-term,” said Councillor Kaleb Firth, who voted for the sale.
“In the province of Ontario, as well as within our district, the capacity to maintain a certain service level is a challenge. We struggle to hire lifeguards; we struggle to hire people to plant flowers. So, with it being 10 kilometres or 10 miles out of town, it’s a really big scope that’s needed there.”
Councillor Wendy Brunetta said she believed the camp worth the cost of rehabilitation, noting that almost all of the facilities and programs the municipality oversees run a deficit.
Councillor Bill Morrison, who had come into the meeting wanting to vote for its sale, determined during discussion that he wanted to vote to keep the camp in the town’s possession.
“After hearing Councillor Brunetta, she’s right,” said Morrison. “We run most of the programs here in town at a deficit. But if they run a program at a deficit of only $10,000 or $13,000 a year, I thought that was a good trade-off because most of our programs are subsidized.”
Councillors Steven Maki, John McTaggart and Mike Behan also voted in favour of the sale.
The town will now begin the process to find a buyer for the camp.
The 2009 transfer agreement between the Kiwanis Club and the Town of Fort Frances did not give Kiwanis any ongoing financial stake. The town has full ownership, but council discussions have emphasized keeping Sunny Cove Camp aligned with its original community purpose rather than selling it off for private development.
