Douglas Judson

For those keeping track:

This is a bad idea. Lakehead University and regional leaders have worked hard to develop professional programs like law and medicine as part of our only university. It makes sense administratively, and strategically. Any legislative effort which threatens physician training and retention for Northwestern Ontario is bad policy for our region.

FORT FRANCES FIRE RESCUE SERVICE UPDATE AS OF APRIL 19, 2021: Open-air burning WILL BE permitted for only lands located North of Eight Street West and situated... along Mclrvine Road and Frog Creek Road. Fire Permits for open-air burning associated with burning wood, brush, leaves and grass can be obtained by landowners by first phoning the Fort Frances Fire Rescue Service at 807-274-9841 Ext. 1 during the following days and times: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. NOTE: DO NOT come to the fire hall. For other locations in the Town of Fort Frances, open-air burning IS NOT permitted. It is prohibited to burn brush & wood piles, fields, leaves, and grass March 18 through October 31. There are exceptions Fire Pits are still permitted. Meanwhile, if the MNRF designates a Restricted Fire Zone throughout our area no one living in the Town of Fort Frances will be permitted to have a firethis includes using an outdoor fire pit, fireplace, and fire grate.

The Medical Officer of Health of the Northwestern Health Unit has this message for residents of the Township of Emo:

Have you submitted your suggestions to rename Colonization Road East and West in Fort Frances? I strongly encourage all citizens and members of the public to submit suggestions recognizing Fort Frances’ Indigenous heritage, languages, and people. Please submit your suggestion with a short explanation to [email protected].

Ontarians are thinking of our friends and neighbours in Nova Scotia today, which marks one year since so many innocent lives were shattered by gun violence. #NovaScotiaStrong

In 2019, after conducting a statistical analysis of US cities including the cost of living, relative vulnerability to climate-related disasters and effects, availability of diverse housing stock, natural resource availability, and so on Keenan began discussing Duluth, Minnesota, as one of the most climate-friendly places in the United States. Scientists and other academics from the University of Minnesota Duluth caught wind of this and asked Keenan to come to town to present his research in town. In a public lecture, Keenan introduced some tongue-in-cheek slogans "Duluth: not as cold as you think!" and outlined his vision for Duluth as a climate refuge.

The OPP is noticeably absent from the list of police services that have expressed concern about these new police powers. I have written to our local OPP detachment to ask for clarification about whether our citizens can expect to be stopped at random for police inspection. We can't police our way out of crisis, and we shouldn't try to when there are other constitutionally sound and evidence-based options that remain unexplored.

We don’t live in a police state. These new police powers are very likely a violation of several Charter rights including your right of silence. If you are stopped, hassled, or carded by police under these rules, you should speak to a lawyer.

Some of this is likely unconstitutional, which is unfortunate when it appears that there are legally-sound and evidence-based options on the table.

Renaming things with public engagement is part of telling our history and marking our progress as a community.

Join our panel as we try to place ‘colonization’ in context for the Fort Frances area! Share your questions and comments below. We will select questions to put to our panelists. Thank you!

In a letter to the community, the group acknowledged that the name change has elicited strong reactions from local residents, both for and against. However, it points out that, to many Indigenous people, the word "colonization" symbolizes historical experiences that were "less than positive" and have ongoing impacts up to the present time.

As he prepares to leave the Senate at the end of January, Murray Sinclair warns that white supremacists and residential school deniers will likely present major obstacles to achieving reconciliation and decolonization in Canada.

Logging in to today’s Rainy River District Municipal Association AGM - the organization’s 30th annual meeting and its first that’s entirely online.

- At today's annual meeting of the Rainy River District Municipal Association, the Northwestern Health Unit's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kit Young Hoon, explained how decisions are made to recommend the closure of schools in the area due to COVID-19 cases. I want to summarize Dr. Young Hoon's explanation, because it's important, and I know many families were curious. I have heard and seen questions online about why orders were made to ...close Fort Frances area schools, while Rainy River area schools remained open, despite Rainy River having a higher rate of cases than Fort Frances. Dr. Young Hoon explained that the provincial colour-coding system is not the extent of the Health Unit's analysis because smaller communities could be classified as "red" based on as few as 0.5 new cases in a week. That's why the Health Unit has to look at the nature of the cases in question and whether they know where they originated from. What this comes down to is the ability to do contact tracing. Dr. Young Hoon explained that the Health Unit was concerned because some of the new cases in the Fort Frances area could not be linked to previous cases (which is suggestive of community spread, and thus increased risk). Where a new case can be linked to an existing case, that is a good thing - because it means that officials can track the spread and risk of further infections. Dr. Young Hoon also explained that there were issues with contact tracing with some of the new Fort Frances area cases. The Health Unit discovered that the individuals had been socializing more than they should have been, and once they tested positive, they were not forthcoming with information to assist them with contact tracing. These behaviours are not only troubling and irresponsible, but they create risks, costs, and challenges for everyone else. Please follow the guidance of public health officials and the provincial government. If you do come into contact with COVID-19 (or suspect you have) or if you test positive for COVID-19, please make your best efforts to assist our Health Unit staff to do contact tracing. They need to be able to identify others who may be at risk. The Health Unit is in the business of protecting public health, and they are cognizant of privacy concerns. They are not here to shame anyone. They are solely motivated to contain the spread of COVID-19 and identify those at risk. Please do your part to support these efforts. Cc: Town of Fort Frances: Official

The City of Dryden has agreed to change the name of Colonization Avenue. The City of Kenora has changed the name of its Colonization Road. The writing is on the wall: the Town of Fort Frances needs to step up and do the same. Let's get on with it.

We will introduce legislation that prohibits any employer from banning their staff from wearing a poppy during Remembrance Week. #lestweforget #onpoli

"An honest mistake"

Here’s a useful tool to give you a general idea of when you can expect to receive tour vaccine, based on your age, work, and other circumstances:

This is a great initiative. Perhaps one that can be replicated in our district?

BREAKING: Important election news for our neighbours in Minnesota.

Next week is Treaties Recognition Week! With new resources and virtual learning opportunities, we’re looking forward to coming together to listen and learn from... Indigenous voices about the importance of treaties and how they continue to shape the province today. We hope you’ll join us! Ontario.ca/treaties | #TreatyON ///// Chiefs of Ontario | Anishinabek Nation | Métis Nation of Ontario | Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres - OFIFC | Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business | Native Canadian Centre of Toronto | Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto | Ontario Native Women's Association (ONWA) | City of Thunder Bay - Municipal Government, Ontario, Canada | Royal Ontario Museum | Niagara Falls | City Of Kenora | City of Mississauga - Municipal Government | Toronto & York Region Métis Council

Thunder Bay is looking at a roundabout for one of its intersections. I would like to see Fort Frances do a traffic study of the intersection at Central/Third/Second/Fourth and consider whether a roundabout could be installed that is structured to funnel more eastbound traffic down Scott Street as opposed to Second. This, combined with a new bypass route for trucks that follows 8th Street and McIrvine Road, would provide a smarter, safer, and business-friendly improvement to traffic flow in our community.

"In early May, the City of Dryden received flak from Grand Council Treaty #3 and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation after councillors voted against a motion to censure Beyak’s conduct. In September of 2017, members of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association called for Beyak’s resignation, after an open letter encouraging Indigenous people to trade in their status cards to find a way to live together. Treaty #3 Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh called for her resignation. City councillors Douglas Judson of Fort Frances, Kirsi Ralko of Kenora, Joe Cassidy of Sioux Lookout, Daniel Sutton of Ear Falls, Andrew Nisly of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, Cody Fraser and Shelby Ch’ng of Thunder Bay have all recently called for Beyak’s resignation."

Of course she did.