Fort Frances, Ontario

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Fort Frances, Ontario

Coat of arms

Motto: Industry and perseverance

District

Established

1903

Government

- Mayor

Roy Avis

- Governing Body

Fort Frances Town Council

- MP

Ken Boshcoff

- MPP

Howard Hampton

Population (2006)

- Total

8,103

Time zone

Central (UTC-6)

Postal code

P9A

Area code(s)

807

Website: Town of Fort Frances official website

Fort Frances, Ontario is a town located in the northwestern part of Ontario, Canada. Its population in 2006 was 8,103. It is in the Rainy River District. Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination and hosts the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship each summer.

Located on the international border with Minnesota where Rainy Lake narrows to become Rainy River, it is connected to International Falls, Minnesota by the Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge.

The first European settlement west of Lake Superior, French Canadian fur traders known as voyageurs including La Vérendrye who in 1732 stopped briefly at Fort St. Pierre before building Fort St Charles on Magnuson Island on the west side of Lake of the Woods. A later HBC fort was established here in 1817 and the subsequent settlement was named after Lady Frances Simpson, wife of then Hudson's Bay Company Governor George Simpson, who visited the fort many times.

Over 2,400 residents consider themselves of Ukrainian origin. [1]

The town was incorporated in 1903 and held a big centennial celebration in 2003.

The main employer is a pulp and paper mill established in the early 1900s with numerous owners over the years, notably Edward Wellington Backus. The mill is now owned by Abitibi-Consolidated, which employes 700 Fort Frances residents.

The town was struck by the Fort Frances, Ontario Tornado on June 25, 1946, causing major damage to the town. The tornado was a week after the deadly Windsor tornado.

1 Coat of arms
2 Media
3 Education
- 3.1 Elementary and secondary schools
- 3.2 Post-secondary schools
4 Notable Fort Francesians
5 Culture
6 Sport
7 References
8 External links
9 Neighbouring communities

[edit] Coat of arms

The city coat of arms features a bull moose, maple leaves, a "Magneto", representative of electricity (industry), two men in a canoe, a white pine tree and the motto "Industry and Perseverance."

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspapers

Fort Frances Times - Daily (website)
Fort Frances Living - Weekly
Fort Frances Today - Weekly

[edit] Online Media

NWO Update

[edit] Television stations

CBWCT (channel 5) (CBC)
CBWFT-11 (channel 15) (SRC)
Cable 10 - Shaw Cable community channel

[edit] Radio stations

[edit] FM

FM 89.1 - CKSB-9, La Première Chaîne
FM 90.5 - CBQQ, CBC Radio One
FM 93.1 - CFOB, Borderland's Best Music hot adult contemporary

Another radio station, CKWO FM 92.3, is licensed to the neighbouring Couchiching First Nation.

[edit] Education

[edit] Elementary and secondary schools

A public school board Rainy River District School Board with 10 elementary schools, and 4 secondary schools.
A Catholic school board The Northwest Catholic District School Board with 5 elementary schools.