Fort Frances council delays decision on new grant writer

It could be a first in northwestern Ontario.

The town of Fort Frances is considering the hiring of a grant writer to source out funding and oversee its use.

It is now done by existing staff.

Chief Administrative Officer Marcel Michaels says the new position would alleviate their workload.

“I look at the wage we pay, like our manager and the administrative roles that are tied to grant writing,” says Michaels.

“And to me, I would rather pay somebody and try to extrapolate all of the administrative duties away from our high-level thinking administrator and make them focus on growth and development in this community.”

Operations and Facilities Manager Travis Rob notes that he worked on about 20 grants last year, and has 13 open files that will occupy much of his time over the next month to complete the required reporting.

Major Ontario cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, London, Kingston, and St. Thomas, have dedicated grant writers or utilize contract services.

Councillor Wendy Brunetta says she spoke to seven municipalities and found that only one was considering a similar position.

She says she is not opposed to the idea but notes there has been some discussion about a regional service being created for northwestern Ontario communities.

“In fact, during some discussions that I had with other mayors, we’ve talked about possibly looking at NOMA (Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association) having some ability to provide a service to municipalities in the form of final edits and things like that,” says Brunetta.

Council has agreed to delay making a final decision until next month while Brunetta gathers more information from the regional municipal lobby group.

Administration has included the position in the 2026 operating budget that is also scheduled for council approval next month.