Fort Frances Times

AND RAINY LAKE HERALD

$1.19 plus 6 GST, $1.25 U.S.
email: info@fortfrances.com

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2010

www.fortfrances.com

Printed in Canada Volume 116 Number 43

ISSN 0834-6283 PAP No. 07429

Trio hails Alabama trip as a success

By Duane Hicks Staff writer

INSIDE

If tired feet are a sign of success, then a trip to Alabama last week by a trio of local delegates was a blockbuster. Doug Cain and Jim Cumming of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, along with local Chamber of Commerce manager

Anthony Mason, who also is an FFCBC director, got back Monday from the 2010 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo, which ran Friday through Sunday in Birmingham. Similar to a trip taken to Shreveport, La. last year, they were there to promote Fort Frances and Rainy Lake as a place to fish and for those in the fishing industry to do business.

And while it will take time to see what might result from their efforts, the three did their best to talk to as many people as possible at the major fishing show. It went very well, Cain said yesterday. One thing that we found in Birmingham, versus Shreveport, is there were a lot of people who were familiar with our part of the country because they had moved

from the upper [U.S.] Midwest to retire down there. They would say, I used to live in Wisconsin, or I grew up in Ohio, and we used to go wherever when I was a kid, he noted. It was kind of neat. There was that kind of connection we did not have when we were in Shreveport, Cain added. We ran into far more people that

were familiar with Fort Frances, Rainy Lake, Nestor Falls, and Rainy River District as places to vacation and fish, and thats because an awful lot of people that attended the booth had lived in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, and either through their jobs changing or retirement, theyd relocated to Please see Trio, A5

Namakan project means hope

The proposed hydroelectric development on the Namakan River means economic and social hope for Lac La Croix First Nation, Chief Leon Jourdain said as the public review period of the projects draft environmental report wraps up by the end of this week.

Provincial funding seen as short-term solution

By Peggy Revell Staff writer Faced with million-dollar deficits, Childrens Aid Societies across the province have welcomed the Ontario governments one-time mitigation funding of $26.9 million but now are left wondering about the state of their budget next year. We were quite pleased, Debbie Leonard, director of administration for Weechi-it-te-win Family Services here, said about the provinces allocation of $942,000 in one-time funding to their agency, meaning their expected deficit of just over $1 million has been reduced and now will be minimal. But despite the provinces funding announcement, the upcoming year is still up in the air. Thats the issue, right? Leonard remarked when asked about how the agency is looking to avoid this same funding shortfall in the upcoming financial year. Were back to square one. We have to start all over again, she stressed. If the agency was short by a million dollars this past year, it probably always will be a million short because of the provinces cut to core funding, she explained, which saw Weechi-it-te-win lose $940,00 in funding last June. This something every agency across the province is facing, she noted. Although we welcome [the funding], it really does nothing for our deficit in future years, Leonard warned, noting they will be meeting very shortly to plan how to keep costs down. When originally faced with this funding shortfall, Leonard said Weechi-it-te-win implemented quite a few cutbacks, including layoffs, a five percent wage cut, and cuts to the pension plan. All in all, about $1 million [in] cutbacks [occurred] to try to reduce our costs, she said, adding that even after this, the agency still was forecasting a $1-million deficit. Prior to receiving the phone call from the ministry, Weechi-it-te-win was ready to take advantage of the political strengthssuch as through the Treaty #3 grand chiefto pressure the ministry to get funding back, Leonard noted. Of the $29.7 million announced by the province of one-time mitigation funding, $2.1 million has been earmarked for aboriginal agencies. Meanwhile, as first reported last week, Family & Childrens Services of the Rainy River Districtwhich had predicted at $600,000 deficitreceived $430,000 from the province. The province either had to provide this funding or you literally would have seen dozens of CAS across the province close their doors, lay off their staff, and cease to provide services to children and Please see Provincial, A5

See story on A3

Spray park achieves goal

The Emo spray park committee has reached its fundraising goal of $150,000 thanks to a $20,000 donation from former district residents Rob and Liana (nee Hyatt) Frenette. Were ecstatic about this, said spray park committee chair Lincoln Dunn. Obviously for us, this is fabulous, he enthused.

Beauty scene
Belles father, Maurice (Caleb Dueck), was surprised by Cogsworth (Conner Pocock) during a rehearsal for Donald Young Schools production of Beauty and the Beast on Monday. Performances will take this evening, as well as tomorrow and Friday, starting at 7 p.m. Tickets, which will be available at the door, cost $10 for adults and $6 for seniors, with children under 12 admitted free. See more photos on B1. Dave Ogilvie photo

Community rug-hooking project in the works here

Ideas wanted
By Duane Hicks Staff writer Organizers are hoping to get local people of all ages hooked on a new community art project which is coming together in Fort Frances. A collaborative rug-hooking project based on the theme What Hooks You Here, which has received funding from the Community Arts and Heritage Education Project (CAHEP), will see community members take turns hooking two pieces over the next year which, when completed, will remain on display at the Fort Frances Museum. Intended to be both a community arts and heritage education project, it will involve creative input from the community while, at the same time, teach the public how to rug hook, explained Debbie Ballard, who along with fellow avid rug hooker Judy Kielczewski, were among those who submitted several hooked pieces to a community art-themed museum exhibit last month. Those same pieces led to a discussion of a community rughooking project at a CAHEP meeting here last month, after which museum curator Pam Cain urged them to apply for funding. They then met with CAHEP coordinator Lila Cano of Thunder Bay a couple of weeks ago, who loved the all-encompassing nature of it, enthused Ballard. Shortly thereafter, the rug-hooking project was given the green light. When I met [Ballard and Kielczewski], they were just amazing. I saw their work at the museum and it is really phenomenal, noted Cano. As a project, it is fantastic, she added, saying the rug-hooking project will see a range of people artists, rug hookers, students, and just about anybody elseworking together to make it happen. And not knowing what theyll come up with is exciting. What were hoping is, say, a writer and maybe a visual artist works in a class to get the kids, seniors, or the learners theyre working with to brainstorm ideas for what the final result could be, said Cano. When you jump off a cliff, you dont know if youre going to fly or where youre going to land, and part of it is because the initial creative work has got to come from the groupswhether it is young learners, older learners, seniors, or community groups, she remarked. Please see Community, A5

See story on B1

Sr. hoopsters snag gold

The Kenora Broncos had provided some late-season headaches for the Muskie seniors boys basketball team. Kenora upset the Muskies 49-41 back on Feb. 4, and nearly repeated the feat the following week before falling 49-46.

See story on C1

This selection of hooked rugs now on display at the Fort Frances Museum is an example of what could be done for the CAHEP-funded project. These pieces were among those crafted by Debbie Ballard, Judy Kielczewski, and Cheryl Behan. Duane Hicks photo

INCREDIBLE VALUE!

All you can eat BUFFET

Chi Chinese R t Restaurant t

216 Scott St. Fort Frances 274-3722 Excellent Chinese & Canadian Cuisine
Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Served Mon. - Sat.

Lunch 11 - 2 ...$799 Dinner 4 - 8 ...$999 Children ...$599 Seniors 10% Off

Book your birthday & anniversary parties with us!

NO MORE EXCUSES

UPGRADE EARLY AND SAVE WITH NO CANCELLATION FEES* FEES*

or $150 credit if switching from another service provider

EMAIL & TEXTING

UNLIMITED

VOICE & DATA $

FROM ONLY

3495

PER MONTH

Pick up orders 10% Off FREE DELIVERY Some restrictions apply VISA Mastercard Interac American Express REGULAR MENU, TAKE OUT & DELIVERY AVAILABLE

290 Scott St. Fort Frances 274-6671

FREE* BLACKBERRY FLIP

*SEE STORE FOR DETAILS

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

FORT FRANCES TIMES A5

Trio hails Alabama trip as a success

More from A1 the southeastern United States, echoed Cumming. Many of the people had fonds memories of their time spent fishing here, and spent time reminiscing, he added. Oft times, they brought other family members who hadnt been here and were really curious about Rainy Lake. . . . That was really encouraging to see they had a connection to this area, this community, Cumming enthused. Cain and Cumming went to Shreveport last year, but Mason was new to the Bassmaster Classic experience. I think it was a very successful event, he remarked. Mind you, its 1,300 miles away. How many people are we going to attract from down there? Who knows? But the thing is they now know where we are, the people that walked through, Mason reasoned. It was a nice show. I met a lot of good people, Mason added later. One of the highlights was I met a guy [Kevin Ogle] who started up a paper [Coastal Angler] and talked to him for 20-30 minutes, and then he came up to us later and offered us a free quarter-page ad in his paper. I met another guy who was interested in coming up here and doing a sports show. But its all a time game, Mason stressed. Youve got to wait and see what comes out of all of the businesses you talked to. . . . Its a time game to see how many people we met will actually get back to us. That said, he reiterated it never hurts. You go down there and you talk with 2,000 people, and youve made contact with 2,000 people who didnt know about Rainy Lake or Fort Frances, nothing bad will come out of this. Its always a positive thing, Mason noted. Cumming said they made a serious effort to talk with manufacturers and distributors of fishing tackle and gear, and met as many as they could (100-150)even doing so prior to the trade show opening each morning. Many of them were smaller businesses that had an interest in expanding beyond their regional area, he added, noting Fort Frances is a ideal spot for them to expand to, with a central location and an easy access borderperhaps a good location where tackle comes in bulk, is packaged, and then shipped east or west. The Rainy River Future Development Corp. will follow up on any leads in the next several months, noted Cumming. The local trio also got media coverage while down there. Cumming was interviewed by CBC Radios Gord Ellis on Thursday afternoon and Lisa Laco on Friday morning, as well as by Darla Bardelli of popular U.S. radio program, Outdoors In America. Cumming said they also tried to talk to as many outdoor writers, filmographers, and other members of the media they could catch up to, and when possible, had them fill out a survey. They will be holding a draw for members of the media, the winner of which will win a trip to come here and do a story (similar draws will be held for survey participants from the public and fishing industry sectors, respectively). All of these surveys will provide valuable data that could be used for future marketing purposes here. Cumming said the show was laid out better than in Shreveport. And their booth not only was twice as big, but located near the entrance to the weigh-ins, which were held in the same building, bringing by extra traffic. I think the traffic was down a little bit from Shreveport, but we had far more people stop, Cum-

It was a nice show. I met a lot of good people. Anthony Mason

ming said. Perhaps a good sign is we were out of literature Saturday afternoon, our main literature. So we had bass literature, and an In-Fisherman article and a Rapala article to hand out all day Sunday, he noted, adding the crowd attendance was highest that day. The bigger booth also allotted them more room to talk to people. Cumming also said they were grateful that FFCBC mainstay Phil Bangert, who has fished the Bassmaster Elite Series in the southern U.S., helped out at their booth. He was able to put a real credible face as to how good the fishing is on Rainy Lake, and talk about the multi-species fishing and what a fun place it is, he noted. Cumming added many people had a hard time fathoming how big Rainy Lake is. Lay Lake, where the Bassmaster Classic was held, is only 1/12 the size. As for the bass tourney itself, Cain said they were very busy at their booth, but he was able to slip away and see the full weigh-in on Friday and the last half of the weigh-in on Saturday, though not the finals on Sunday. He noted the weigh-ins at the 12,000-seat arena were quite a spectacle. They do it up right, Cain said. The lights are down, everything is hot lights, special effects, disco balls, rock n roll. They do a really good job. The set they have to build there is unbelievable, he added. The media centre was in the arena, so we were back and forth and you could see the set up taking shape. Our booth went up in the morning [Thursday], and in that same morning, the transformation that they made was unbelievable. They were hanging stuff from the ceilings. Its a neat thing, Cain enthused. It gives us some ideas we might want to be able to do, just in terms of layout, when we go to the arena this year [for the FFCBC]. The trip was a joint effort of the Rainy River Future Development Corp., Town of Fort Frances, FedNor, Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, and the private sector. Cumming stressed the importance of having those private-sector sponsors, who committed tens of thousands of dollars to their promotional efforts. For example, area resorts such as Campfire Island, Camp Ontario, and Camp Narrows donated trips worth $3,900 apiece as draw prizes while La Place Rendez-Vous donated a two-night stay and meals as part of one of those prize packages. Fin-tech Tackle, which transported their booth and materials from International Falls to Birmingham, probably saved them $1,000 in freight costs while other sponsors, like Northland Tackle and Lindner Media, donated thousands of dollars in lures and tackle, DVDs, and other items to give away. Its a positive sign when you have Fin-tech Tackle, Faculty of Fishing, Northland Tackle, Bill Lewis Lures, Lindner Media, InFisherman Magazine, Rapala, who all use this area to test their products, shoot shows, all of that, and they see the value in promoting the Fort Frances area and Rainy Lake, remarked Cumming. They see value in having their products associated with us, he explained. We might not perceive it ourselves, but these national corporations do.

Help for Haiti

Fort High students Caitlin Fitzgerald and Natasha Bragg (above left) dished up pasta and salad, while at right, Kimberly Perreault and Laura Morrish showed off silent auction items during last Thursday evenings spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Haiti in the high school cafeteria. With support from the public, more than $4,000 was raised for earthquake relief efforts in that country. Peggy Revell photos

Community rug-hooking project in the works

More from A1 You dont know what that end result is going to be. They are part of the creative process, Cano stressed. They are either developing the story thats going to go on the rug that will be hooked by the community or they are going to brainstorming into the design or colourswho knows what? Probably a lot of all of those things. Cano also liked the theme What Hooks You Here. People live in Fort Frances, we live in the north, for a reasonwe live here because we love it, she enthused. There are so many things that draw us to these kinds of places that are exciting and beautifularts, heritage, culture, sports, landscapes, all of it. Were trying to really celebrate why we choose to live in these places. Cano said she also was looking for a project that could be done by absolutely anyone. Whether they are young children or seniors in a home, they should be able to hook a rug and get joy out of participating, out of being part of that. I thought, Thats fantastic. Thats real collaboration and its real inclusivity. Absolutely everyone can get on board and celebrate what their story is. Ballard agreed the idea is to get as many hands as possible working on the rug-hooking pieces. They would like to see the pieces passed around from group to groupwhether they are a quilting group, service group, volleyball team, sorority, co-workers, or Rainycrest residentso that they are truly community projects, and people of all ages can say they worked on this or that part of the finished works. The idea is that it is a heritage craft, and rug hooking is a heritage craft, Ballard noted. And many members of the community can participate. Anyone who can pull up loops can work on the project, and our part will be going around putting on workshops, showing people how to pull up loops. Well get the map of the project done so people will know what to do when they get it with their group, or place or work, or wherever, Ballard added. Community input Many details still have to be sorted out, but the gist of the project is that the rug-hooking pieces will be mapped out based on artwork which, in turn, was inspired by what community members like about living here. Whats needed right now is input from the community so the project can start moving ahead. We dont want to sit and wait, enthused Kielczewski, adding they would like to start seeing stories, artwork, photographs, or any other type of creative input as soon as possible. If someone has an idea, we would certainly be open to it, said Ballard. Its a community project. We want to be as all-inclusive as possible, she stressed. Kielczewski conceded it might not be possible to use every idea for these two pieces, but it doesnt mean theyll go to waste and possibly would be used in a future project. Writers, artists, or anyone with ideas to contribute to the project can contact Kielczewski (2747120), Ballard (274-3250), or the museum (274-7891). As well, any individuals, groups, or teachers interested in working on it once the rug hooking actually begins should contact them at the numbers above. Looking ahead, the project will be more formally explained at open house slated for March 25 at the museum. At that time, Ballard said theyll most likely demonstrate how a piece of artwork, done by Cain, will be turned into a rughooking creation. That workshop is for anyone who is involved in the project or even interested in participating in the project, noted Ballard. If youre a teacher and you think it would be cool for your class to get involved, but arent sure if they could, you can come and you can see. Its fine for kids to do. Its actually maybe a little easier for little fingers. The public also will get a chance to work on it during the first week of June, at which time the project should be well underway. Ballard and Kielczewski will have it at one of the various activities being held in conjunction with the grand opening of Phase II of the Heritage Tourism Project (i.e., the Hallett, lookout tower, and other waterfront enhancements). For those who may not be the crafty type, Ballard said rug hooking shouldnt intimidate anyone. Its not difficult. You only have to be able to pull up loops, she promised. Theres a hook thats designed specifically to grab the wool. I have taught quite a few people to hook and really have to say I have only had two or three who had trouble pulling up loops. Thats the beauty of doing within your groupif you have trouble with it, other group members can pick up your slack, added Ballard. Its not hard. Pulling up loops is a means to an end, thats all it is. Its not the final product, its the means to an end. While everything will depend on how many rug-hooking pieces are done and how large they are, Ballard said the entire project will take abut a year to complete. The size of the piece will depend, ultimately, on how much money is available, she reasoned. It is expensive to buy wool, so the bigger it is, the more wool it takes, the more dye it takes. And until we have artwork, we dont know that. But Id really like to have two piecesone piece done completely by kids, and then one piece done by other interested groups, Ballard said. The project received CAHEP funding in the amount of $1,500 while another $1,000 was raised at the Rodney Brown and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra concert last week at the Townshend Theatre here. In addition to a myriad of projects in Thunder Bay, Cano said CAHEP is working with 13 communities in Northern Ontarioof which Fort Frances is oneto help get those smaller projects off the ground. Called the Big Picture Initiative, the effort is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., and sponsored by Bearskin Airlines.

Provincial funding seen as short-term solution

More from A1 families in need, said local MPP Howard Hampton. I think the McGuinty Liberals have been forced to admit that they have been underfunding Childrens Aid Societies. Thats really whats happened here. Hampton also warned the mitigation funding is not going to do anything wonderful. It will merely allow the Childrens Aid Societies across Ontario to continue operating until the end of their fiscal year, which is March 31, he argued. But theyre still under the gun, theyre still in a position where theyre having to reduce services. Theyre still in a position where, for the next fiscal year, theyre going to be in the same situation, he stressed. By the time the end of November or December rolls around, many of them will be out of money again, Hampton warned. Ive talked with the CASs, both with Tikinagan, with Weechi-it-tewin, Ive talked with FACS, Ive talked with Kenora-Patricia CAS, Ive talked to all of them over the past six months and all of them are facing these budget pressures in one way or another, theyre all being pushed over the edge, Hampton said. And not because theyve done anything wrong. If anything, theyve done everything right, he noted. Theyve done everything according to the law of Ontario, and they shouldnt be treated this way. Despite this one-time mitigation funding, Childrens Aid Societies from around the province still are predicting deficits. With a projected shortfall of $2.5 million, Algomas CAS received $1.4 million in mitigation funding, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Thats not enough to sustain programs, charged CUPE 1880 Group VP Melissa Guild. Until funding is fixed in a way that includes long-term base funding for these programs, it will be the same scenario next year-end, she warned. With the current funding formula, there will never be adequate dollars for these critical programs that keep children safely with their families whenever possible rather than coming unnecessarily into care of the agency. And thats a shame because its these types of programs that are good for children, and also actually save money in the long-run by keeping children out of institutional care. Ultimately these cuts hurt children, Guild argued. When it comes to the funding of CASs in the province, the Ministry of Youth and Childrens Services has established a commission to promote sustainability in the child protection sector. Hopefully, through this process, theyll be able to come up with an equitable funding formula for all agencies, said Leonard. But she added the process itself will take three years, with reform possibly taking four or five years. The ministry really needs to examine the existing funding formula, she agreed. In my opinion, it dont think it needs to take that long. This review isnt going to do anything for two years, echoed Hampton. Lets be clear. This review is a political creation to get them past the next election. This review wont even report until after the next election. Its a shell game to cover up the fact that Childrens Aid Societies are simply not getting enough funding to enable them to do their job in many places across the province, he charged. [What] needs to be recognized is this: the funding formula that the McGuinty Liberals are using doesnt address the real needs, Hampton said, arguing past Liberal and Conservative governments have loaded up CASs with new obligations, responsibilities, and processes while not increasing the funding to pay for these initiatives. CASs havent just suddenly ratcheted up their spending, Hampton noted. [CASs] dont have control over who comes through the door, he stressed. So the fact that a CAS [such as FACS] has a balanced budget for three years, and everything is working along in a reasonable way, the next year that CAS might be hit with five, six, seven children who have very complex mental health, social, and psychological issues. The budget process the province has established has to address those realities. As well, the downturn of the economy has meant there more children in need than ever, Hampton addedsomething the province hasnt addressed. This increasing demand for service also has been noted by the Ontario Association of Childrens Aid Societies in its submission to the Ontario governments prebudget consultation. As of the end of fiscal year 2008-09, CASs reported increases of three percent for child protection referrals and two percent for investigations, the submission noted. While these increases appear to be modest, they reflect the growth in caseloads before the full impact of the economic downturn. Research clearly indicates that child protection growth lags behind unemployment and social assistance increases, the submission added. There is no doubt that CAS caseloads for referrals and investigations will rise in 2009-11. Hampton said the province also has implemented rules and regulations for CASs which need to be removed, some of which mean that the agencies now are being forced to deal with what are, in effect, really problems of low income and poverty. The way the rules are now, I think a lot of children are being taken into care not because their parents are bad parents, not because their parents are negligent parents, only because their parents are poor, he noted. Thats wrong. You should not be using the Childrens Aid Societies to address poverty issues, he argued. Those should be addressed in other ways, through Employment Insurance federally and through a more realistic social assistance process provincially.

HAVE YOUR SAY

How would your rate Canadas performance at the 2010 Games?

To take part in our online poll, visit the Times Web site at: www.fftimes.com
Last weeks question--How much have you been watching the Olympics?--saw 409 responses: -55 % voted Every day -19 % voted Once in a while -14 % voted What Olympics? -12 % voted Fairly often