News & Media

A motion brought forward by Councillor Brunetta at the June 22, 2026 meeting of Fort Frances’ town council should heighten concern in the community about the municipality’s dealings with the Sunny Cove Camp property. The recitals of Councillor Brunetta’s motion indicate that in July 2025, council directed town staff to move forward with the rehabilitation of the property, including the removal of derelict buildings. Despite that direction, municipal staff spent the next sev

On May 13, 2026, the Fort Frances Times reported that council of the Town of Fort Frances has ratified an agreement with North Star Air to return passenger air service to the Fort Frances Municipal Airport (YAG). While the newspaper's reporting suggests that the half-million dollar deal is a 'win' for the community, the fine print of the agreement leaves much to be desired. It may, in fact, leave taxpayers grounded. About the Agreement The agreement (which is publicly availab

Taxpayers of the Town of Fort Frances have paid over $122,000 in legal fees relating to proceedings involving former councillor David Kircher. Kircher resigned from council in May 2024 following findings of the municipal integrity commissioner which recommended that council sanction his conduct. After his resignation, Kircher commenced an application for judicial review of the integrity commissioner's report. Kircher's application for judicial review does not appear to hav

On January 7, 2026, I published a short letter in the Fort Frances Times pointing out the responsibility of certain incumbent councillors in Fort Frances for the Point Park litigation boondoggle. You can read my letter here . Below is an expanded discussion of its contents, including some links to supporting material. As we move into a municipal election year, the conclusion of the long-running Point Park litigation should prompt sober reflection and concern about the suitabi

Newly-released freedom of information productions suggest that, for nearly 30 years, council of the Town of Fort Frances approached the...

You can read the court's decision here .

Towards the end of my term as a municipal councillor in Fort Frances, I was attacked in numerous incoherent newspaper ads that appeared...

Newly released freedom of information productions from the Town of Fort Frances reveal that the municipality spent over $42,000 in legal...

The walls are closing in on the Town of Fort Frances’ flawed approach to the Point Park litigation, and so far it appears that the only...

I am often asked about the status of the Point Park litigation between the Town of Fort Frances, the Agency One First Nations...

This column by Douglas W. Judson was printed in the Kenora Miner and News on September 29, 2022. You can find it online here. “Your job is to fight the staff.” When I started my term as a councillor in Fort Frances, those were the words of wisdom from a friend who had served several terms in another municipality. Since my election in 2018, I have come to better understand their meaning. With a month left to go in Ontario’s municipal election campaign, candidates will be busy

Breach of agreement by Christian Parents' Association caused over $300K in damages to public school board Public records obtained in...

For the past several months, local realtor David Kircher has been engaged in an extensive misinformation campaign concerning Council’s...

At its June 13, 2022 meeting, Council received a report from administration seeking its approval to issue a tender for the appointment of...

On March 25, 2022 I sat down with Caitlin Hartlen to talk about the upcoming municipal election and why change and renewal on Council is...

At recent meetings of council of the Town of Fort Frances, the prospect of entering a ‘lame duck’ phase later this year was discussed....

Following the events at the Council meeting of March 14, 2022 (which I wrote about here), I submitted the following letter to the editor...

In January 2022, Council learned that Mayor June Caul illegally leaked a legal opinion to David Kircher, as part of a months-long...

The Fort Frances Times received a letter to the editor from Diane Maxey, which it printed in its January 19, 2022 edition. The editor...

From the outset, the project to rename Colonization Road was meant to be a landmark reconciliation moment for Fort Frances. It did not...