Strongly opposed

Dear editor:
I strongly oppose Fort Frances council’s efforts to encourage other local municipalities to lobby the Ministry of Tourism to relocated the tourist information centre in Fort Frances.

The argument for urgent action stems on traffic flow from Canada Customs away from the tourist centre, thus American traffic, by large numbers, is not utilizing this valuable service and therefore is losing out on several areas of promotion in Northwestern Ontario.
To complicate council’s problem with tourist traffic flow, they introduced and adopted a resolution removing the traffic lights at the corner of Mowat Avenue and Church Street, one block east of the tourist centre, which only encourages and speeds up tourist traffic flow away from Customs and the tourist centre.
The answer to this problem is simple, and with the cost not exceeding $250.
The resolution? All vehicular traffic, excluding large commercial and industrial trucks, passing through Canada Customs must make a left-hand turn onto Church Street (a sign designating all traffic must turn left will cost less than $250).
The curb all the way along the Canada Customs check-out bays are lapped down to the road and are a smooth as any driveway entrance.
The benefits of this decision are clear:
(1). Save the cost of building a new tourist information centre here.
(2). 100 percent of all traffic coming into Canada (and leaving Canada) will have to drive past the front door of the present tourist information centre (except industrial and commercial trucks).
(3). Central Avenue already is posted with overhead highway signs directing traffic to Kenora, downtown Fort Frances, and Thunder Bay, etc.
(4). The distance of travel for Americans leaving Canada Customs to the tourist information centre is 25-200 feet.
(5). Traffic flow will be easier for tourists and local vehicles.
(6). Increase the promotional opportunities for tourism traffic at the tourist information centre and currency exchange at a very minimal cost.
Note: The reason industrial and commercial truck traffic is excluded from having to turn left is to allow our truck route to continue, as planned, and to refrain from having mill-bound heavy truck traffic from clogging up the downtown traffic, plus keeping dangerous chemical trucks, heavy loads, etc. further away from the populated downtown core.
Yours truly,
Nick Wihnan
Fort Frances, Ont.
Editor’s note: This letter also was addressed to Tourism minister Monique Smith, as well as Fort Frances council, other municipal councils in Northwestern Ontario, various other media outlets, Canada Customs, the tourist information centre, and local politicians.