Editorials

There is understandable outrage that disgraced former junior hockey coach Graham James was handed only an additional two-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two other players under his wing, including former NHL star Theoren Fleury.

Emo residents are determined Donald Young School won’t suffer the same fate as Alexander MacKenzie, Sixth Street, and Huffman here in Fort Frances.
That certainly was the message delivered loud and clear by the 80 people who turned out last Wednesday night for the fourth and final public consultation by the Pupil Accommodation Review committee looking into what to do with DYS.

First the bad news: we didn’t make the cut.
The good news? At least someone took the time this year to nominate Fort Frances for the annual Kraft “Hockeyville” title.

In what has become a regular plea around this time of year, more volunteers must step forward if a full slate of Canada Day festivities is to go ahead here.

Whether or not you agreed with local MP John Rafferty’s decision last week to again vote with the Conservative government to abolish the long-gun registry, his move exposed the thorny dilemma when a political party’s platform clashes with the wishes of the majority of constituents.

Who knew a future Stanley Cup winner was taking to the ice when Duncan Keith got his start with the Times Tigers here all those years ago?
When Jenna Enge threw her first curling stone, did anyone realize she would grow up to compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts?

Fort Frances has been forced to try Plan ‘B’ in its efforts to garner district funding to help operate the local airport—and that’s disappointing.

If you don’t stand up for yourself, who will?
We must not stand idly by in the face of a decision—quietly made in late fall—to re-locate our resident judge to Kenora District when Judge Thomas McKay moves to London, Ont. in May.

According to figures compiled by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left-leaning think-tank, the 100 highest-paid chief executives whose companies are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange made an average of $8.38 million in 2010—a 27 percent increase from the $6.6 million compensation for the top 100 CEOs in 2009.

It looks like another opportunity to rouse community pride here is about to go by the wayside.
We talk about being a hockey town, and certainly seem to be, yet we’ve never bothered to enter the annual Kraft “Hockeyville” competition. And with the nomination phase for the 2012 title set to close in less than two weeks, sadly that appears to be the case again this year.