Randy Thoms is a veteran news broadcaster with over 40 years' experience. He is based in Fort Frances and covers stories across northwestern Ontario. Contact Randy at thoms.randy@radioabl.ca.
There is no change to the amount of money available to Fort Frances organizations through the Winnipeg Foundation and Moffat Family Fund.
A total of $102,500 has been issued.
Funding is distributed to eligible groups and organizations that support programming for children and families.
The town is proposing to use $1,500 to offset its costs of marketing and administering the funds.
The Foundation allows for up to $3,075, but town administration states that only $1,500 was required in 2025.
The town expects to begin accepting applications next week.
A committee of council will review them before making recommendations in March for council to consider.
The Foundation gives final approval before the money is distributed.
Fort Frances has traditionally presented the successful organizations with their cheques in June.
A $100 million contribution to the Winnipeg Foundation by the Moffat family after the sale of Moffatt Communications to Shaw Communications led to the fund being established.
Communities where Moffat Communications did business have received annual funding since 2001.
The first baby for 2026 in the Fort Frances area has arrived.
And it’s a boy!
Riverside Health Care reports Hayden Kelvin Croswell was born Thursday morning at 8:30 at LaVerendyre General Hospital.
It is the third child for parents Chelsea and Kelvin Croswell.
Riverside offers its congratulations and best wishes to the Croswell family, and to all families welcoming new babies in the new year.
It also gives thanks to its obstetrics care team.
“Riverside Health Care is deeply grateful for our exceptional obstetrics care team at La Verendrye General Hospital, who guide families through labour, delivery, and newborn care with compassion, expertise, and reassurance every step of the way,” states a release.
“Their dedication leaves a meaningful imprint on the lives of the families we serve.”
Area snowmobilers are being invited to help Easter Seals.
Snowarama will take place in Atikokan on January 31st.
It is a ride through area trails, while participants raise money for Easter Seals.
Easter Seals’ Manager of Community Engagement for the Northern Region, Rhonda Harrison, says the Atikokan event is now in its 51st year.
“Atikokan Snowarama was actually one of the original Snowarama events that started across Ontario,” says Harrison.
“I remember talking to some of the original Kiwanis members who remember Whipper Watson being in Atikokan and lifting one of the Easter Seal kids on his shoulder and bringing them to a snow machine. It’s got a long history in Atikokan.”
This year’s ride will begin from the Atikokan SnoHo Snowmobile Club’s chalet at the Charleston Recreation Centre, starting at 9 a.m.
Riders will then travel to Brown’s Clearwater West Lodge for a light lunch.
Harrison says some may also want to travel to White Otter Castle before returning to the snowmobile club’s chalet.
“We’re actually going to do something a little different this year. We’re going to do an early dinner lunch from 4- 5:30 p.m. at the SnoHo chalet. We’re going to have you well fed by the end of the day.”
Harrison says snowmobilers can register and obtain pledge forms through the Snowarama website. Click here.
A minimum pledge of $100 is required to participate.
“The money raised helps Easter Seals kids. Easter Seals helps families with children with physical disabilities purchase equipment for mobility, communication devices, bathroom modifications, and also summer camp opportunities,” says Harrison.
You can also register on the morning of the event.
Since they were first established in conjunction with snowmobile clubs across the province, Snowarama has raised over $20 million for Easter Seals.
Premier Doug Ford is standing firm on a threat to halt the sale of Crown Royal whiskey in Ontario liquor stores.
He is upset with U.K.-based producer, Diageo and its plans to close its plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, later this year and move production elsewhere.
Ford says his decision is about protecting jobs.
“When you want to go after one of our, basically, go after Ontarians and ship it down to the US, make no mistake about it. You think it is going to Winnipeg. You think it is going to Quebec. It’s going down to Alabama to be produced,” says Ford.
“And I will fight all day long to protect the jobs for Ontarians.”
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union says Ford’s attack on Crown Royal only threatens the plants and jobs in Manitoba and Quebec.
“As usual, Doug Ford is serving up another straight pour of betrayal to Canadian workers,” states Barry Sawyer, UFCW Canada National President, in a release.
“Elbows up’ doesn’t just mean ‘elbows up for Ontario.’ ‘Elbows up’ means all Canadian workers need to stand together in solidarity.”
Diageo says it will maintain a strong Canadian presence, with its Canadian headquarters and a warehouse remaining in Toronto, along with other bottling and distillation facilities in Gimli, Manitoba, and Valleyfield, Quebec.
Infrastructure Ontario has narrowed the list of companies eligible to bid on the construction of new Ontario Provincial Police detachments in northwestern Ontario and a regional headquarters in Thunder Bay.
Amico Secure Ontario, Bird Capital Limited Partnership and Ledcor OPP will have the opportunity to submit bids on the projects later this year.
A contract is to be awarded before the end of the year.
Twelve new detachments have been identified in the latest phase of improvements to OPP facilities.
Ignace, Kenora, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake are among those on the list.
Infrastructure Ontario notes that the buildings to be replaced are between 40 and 60 years old.
The last phase of improvements was completed in 2023 and saw 10 new detachments, including new ones in Fort Frances and Marathon.
Bird Construction was awarded the contract for those facilities that provide police with modern infrastructure, such as CCTV, holding cells, evidence vaults and improved accessibility.
The first phase of the OPP modernization plan was completed in 2012, with 18 new detachments opening.
In northwestern Ontario, new detachments were opened in Armstrong, Dryden, and Nipigon, along with a new Forensic Identification Services site in Kenora.
International Falls City Council will discuss next week a proposed lease for Koochiching County’s law enforcement building.
The city has inquired about using the building for its own police department.
The department shared space with Koochiching County’s Sheriff Department, but relocated to the Backus Centre a few years ago.
New facilities for the Sheriff’s Department are scheduled to open later this year, making the existing law enforcement center available.
Acting on an inquiry from the city, the county is putting forward a 20-year lease, costing the city $50,000 each year for the first two years, followed by inflationary increases afterwards.
County Board Chair Jason Sjoblom says they are not in a position yet to say if they would ever sell the building.
“I think we’ve got some plans for the second floor that we’re kind of working on through our space committee,” says Sjoblom.
“We have some needs that we might be able to use that second floor for, but there’s always an opportunity in the future to discuss this.”
The lease also proposes that the county be responsible for maintaining the building and splitting the refurbishing costs with the city.
“We went through and had a consultant look at what those costs will be,” says Sjoblom.
“That would be lights, floors, walls, paint, ceiling tiles, and I think we were at $160,000-ish. That’s obviously an estimate.”
The city would also have access to three garage bays, while sharing space in the basement with the county at no additional cost.
The county is using a fourth bay for storage of emergency equipment that Sjoblom says could be handed over to the city at a later date.
City council intends to discuss the county’s proposal at a committee of the whole meeting scheduled for next Monday night.
Mayor Drake Dill says it will give council the time to review the lease with its city attorney.
A Fort Frances woman is the latest winner of Riverside Health Care’s 50/50 cash draw.
Julia (Charmaine) Hebert of Fort Frances claimed the prize of $27,952.50
It is the largest jackpot since the 50/50 draws came to be for the hospital.
Hebert has been a long-time supporter and advocate of the cash draw, and says the win reinforces her decision to continue supporting local draws.
“That is honestly fantastic!” states Hebert in a release.
“Come on, let’s get this bigger.”
The draws have experienced an increase in interest in recent months, with the jackpot exceeding the $10,000 mark for the past three draws.
Riverside is using the draws to help raise money for a new MRI unit to be installed at La Verendrye General Hospital in Fort Frances and new digital X-ray units at La Verendrye and Rainy River Health Centre.
“Support from people like Charmaine, who understand that every ticket helps make a big impact, makes an incredible difference,” states Holly Kaemingh, Director of Fundraising at Riverside.
“This record-breaking draw is a powerful example of what our community can achieve together to support local health care.”
Tickets for January draw are now available online at www.rhc5050.com, La Verendrye’s administration office, by calling 807-274-6635 or visiting every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., inside the main entrance area of La Verendrye.
Water is again flowing to the water tower in Fort Frances.
The tower was emptied last summer to allow crews to make improvements, including recoating the tank.
With the help of a ceremonial golden key that turned the water on when the tower went into commission in 1984, Mayor Andrew Hallikas and town employee Bryan Patterson turned a valve that allowed water back into the tank for the first time in six months.
Mayor Andrew Hallikas and town employee Bryan Patterson turn a water value to flow water back into a refurbished water tower, January 7, 2026. Image: Randy Thoms/Acadia Broadcasting
Hallikas says the project was completed on time and on budget, and service was not lost to residents.
“While the water tower itself was offline throughout the summer, our residents never once lost access to water,” says Hallikas.
“Every time someone turned on a tap, water was there on demand, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that is no small feat. Without the tower, our system relies entirely on pumps operating continuously to maintain pressure.”
Hallikas credits staff for ensuring the water system ran smoothly.
The work on the tower that started in June, with scaffolding being erected around it, included sandblasting on the inside and outside of the tank.
Some structural repairs were also made, as was the replacement of other key components, before the tank was recoated and repainted.
Fort Frances water tower, January 7, 2026. Image: Randy Thoms/Acadia Broadcasting
Operations and Facilities Manager Travis Road says similar work was done in 2005.
“It was just a recoat over the original layer,” says Rob.
“Because of that, we had to go all the way back to bare metal because we couldn’t coat on top of it again. We had to take it all the way back. Plus, there were some other things inside that we had to do in terms of repairs that would require us to break through all of those existing layers down to bare metal anyway. Even if we were to do those repairs and try to patch it, it was going to be a huge undertaking.”
New graphics were added to the tank’s exterior, displaying Li’l Amik, the town’s mascot, which was brought back for promotional uses early last year.
“Proudly providing a little bit of whimsy,” says Hallikas.
“The new design truly pops visually, and has already become a point of pride and excitement for residents. It’s a reminder that our infrastructure can be both functional and a symbol of community identity.”
Fort Frances water tower with the image of Li’l Amik, the town’s mascot, on the side of the tank, January 7, 2026. Image: Randy Thoms/Acadia Broadcasting
Rob says crews are still in the process of returning communication equipment that had to be moved and mounted elsewhere.
He expects the scaffolding to be fully removed by the end of the month.
The tank holds about one million gallons of water.
Statistics Canada is in the process of hiring approximately 32,000 workers to assist in collecting the data.
They include enumerators and supervisory staff who will work in communities across Canada.
The enumerators’ prime role is to go door-to-door to collect census information.
The agency has also increased the pay, giving an almost 45% hike since the 2021 Census.
Statistics Canada says the information collected every five years provides the most accurate portrait of the country.
Governments, organizations, businesses and individuals use the findings in their decision-making in areas such as childcare, education, healthcare, public transportation, housing, and community planning, as well as other programming.
Those applying for any of the available positions must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or possess a valid work permit.
