Rainy River District certainly is much different today than it was a century ago—with some changes for the best and others not.
One constant, fortunately, is the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society’s annual fair in Emo each August, which has been a highlight of the summer for many residents right across the district for almost 110 years.

Not everyone may see the growing number of area residents turning to methadone to curb their addiction to opioids as “good news,” but its certainly a positive development in the very real need to combat drug abuse locally.
And its equally clear better access is needed.
Critics are quick to point out the treatment program merely substitutes one drug addiction for another, especially given some people need to remain on this “maintenance therapy” for the rest of their lives.

There undoubtedly were a lot of smiles around La Verendrye Hospital last Thursday afternoon as the long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated CT scanner finally arrived.
Yes, it took longer than expected to get the machine here, but blame that on government red tape more than anything. And don’t forget the room housing the CT scanner, as well as an adjacent one, had to be readied and hospital staff trained on how to use the new equipment.

Shaw Communications wasn’t the most popular company among some circles here when word filtered out in late June that it was revamping the way it handled local programming, which cost the job of Randy Thoms, who appeared to be well-liked and respected for his work in bringing community events to the airwaves.

Word Monday night that town council will look into a safety concern regarding pedestrians crossing King’s Highway to access the Legion Park here is welcome news—and long overdue.
The Times first raised this issue in 2006 when only the alertness of a driver prevented a potential tragedy involving a Third Street West woman who was walking home from the park with her young grandson.

The recent audit by Stewardship Ontario found some glaring holes in the way Fort Frances handles its recycling program.
Currently, the municipality collects all recycling waste into one stream and ships it off to a plant in Winnipeg where it is recycled.
The town is on the hook for all costs although it does receive a grant from the province. The town receives no value for the recycled material.
The Town of Fort Frances only recovers 33 percent of the recycled material in the community.

Pause for a moment, sit back and be thankful to have Canada to call home.
Born 141 years ago as the Dominion of Canada, this country has grown to one of the greatest in the world, and we are fortunate to live here.
Taken in the global context, our issues at times seem petty.
Free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom of religion, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of opinion: we may take these for granted, but we enjoy each and every one of them.
Too many people around the world aren’t as fortunate.

District residents have a unique opportunity this week to literally see our past come to life with the arrival of the David Thompson Brigade—a group of 160 modern-day voyageurs paddling 16 25-foot north canoes from Rocky Mountain House in Alberta to Old Fort William at Thunder Bay.
The brigade was scheduled to arrive in Rainy River today (Wednesday), then be in Emo tomorrow before heading upstream to Fort Frances on Friday, where their welcome at Pither’s Point Park will coincide with this year’s “Relay for Life” event.

Sewer and water only is important to voters when they don’t have those services. Politicians realize this, knowing that once the pipe is buried, it is invisible to the electorate.
It is much more fun, and provides more recognition, to build arenas and resurface roads that remains visible to the public.
Last year, residents began learning how fragile our sewer and water system is. Through many councils’ benign neglect, a great deal of Fort Frances’ infrastructure is now surviving on emergency critical care.

A great outcry roared across the land last week.
No, it wasn’t over whether Foreign Affairs ministers should be dating women linked to organized crime. It did not revolve around legislation aimed at curbing greenhouse gases or the Liberals repeatedly skipping confidence votes in the House of Commons to avoid triggering an election.
Skyrocketing gas prices? Nope. Crumbling infrastructure? Wrong again. The war in Afghanistan? Yeah, right.