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Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the 2021 census was 7,466 Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.
Located on the international border with the United States where Rainy Lake narrows to become Rainy River, it is connected to International Falls, Minnesota by the Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge. The town is the fourth-largest community in Northwestern Ontario after Thunder Bay, Kenora and Dryden. The Fort Frances Paper Mill was formerly the main employer and industry in the town until its closure in January 2014. Today, there is no manufacturing or major industry in Fort Frances. Healthcare, social services and the town corporation make up the majority of the top tier employers, with big box retail coming in second. New Gold, a Canadian mining company, acquired mineral rights to the area in 2013. The Rainy River mine commenced processing ore on September 14, 2017 and completed its first gold pour on October 5, 2017.
In 1817, following the War of 1812 and the redefinition of borders between Canada and the United States, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) built a fort here. In 1830 HBC Chief Factor John Dugald CameronSylvia Van Kirk, "CAMERON, JOHN DUGALD," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 22, 2015, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cameron_john_dugald_8E.html. named the fur trading post after Frances Ramsay Simpson, the 18-year-old daughter of a London merchant,Sylvia Van Kirk, "SIMPSON, FRANCES RAMSAY," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 22, 2015, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_frances_ramsay_8E.html. who had married earlier that year in London, George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, who would visit the fort many times. In 1841 she became Lady Simpson after George Simpson was knighted, and she died in 1853 at Lachine, Quebec.John S. Galbraith, "SIMPSON, Sir GEORGE," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 22, 2015, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html.
Incorporated in 1903, the town held a big centennial celebration in 2003.
The main employer was a paper mill established in the early 1900s. It had numerous owners over the years, notably Edward Wellington Backus. Most recently owned by Resolute Forest Products, the mill employed about 700 persons until its closure in 2014.
On June 25, 1946, the town was struck by a tornado, which caused major damage and struck a week after the deadly Windsor tornado.
On August 25, 2013, the town hosted the final pitstop in the Kraft Celebration Tour by receiving the most votes out of all 20 communities
On January 14, 2014, Resolute Forest Products announced that it planned to stop operations of the final paper machine and close out its operations in Fort Frances by the end of the month.
On December 13, 2014, Tim Hortons filmed a commercial in Fort Frances. The commercial, which dubs Fort Frances "one of the coldest places in Canada", was shot at the local Tim Hortons. In the days leading up to the filming, yarn was seen covering trees, benches, etc. Workers had spent the night covering the interior of the restaurant with yarn and building a giant toque on the roof. For the day, the coffee was free.
In August 2015 the Seven Generations Education Institute hosted the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium's (WINHEC) Annual General Meeting at the Nanicost Grounds for members attending from all over the world.
Fort Frances Municipal Airport does not have regularly scheduled commercial airline service. It was previously served by only one company, Bearskin Airlines, with flights to and from Kenora, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, and Dryden. Falls International Airport has flights to Minneapolis–Saint Paul by Delta Connection.
Ontario Highway 11 and Ontario Highway 71, the latter of which ends in Fort Frances, are the two major highways in the community. Both are part of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is connected to Kenora via Highway 71, while Highway 11 provides connections to Devlin, Emo, and Rainy River to the west, and Atikokan and Thunder Bay to the east.
Canadian National Railway travels into Fort Frances with freight traffic only and travels across the Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge, over the Rainy River, into the US.
Train, truck and car traffic to and from the United States traverses the International Bridge.
Fort Frances Transit operated until 1996, and Fort Frances Handi-Van Transit is a provincially-funded service run by the Town of Fort Frances. Caribou Coach Transportation Company Incorporated cancelled its bus route to and from Thunder Bay in October 2017. The route was once served by Greyhound Canada. North Air operates a taxi service from Fort Frances whose service area includes the International Falls, Minnesota area and airport.
Fort Frances, along with Atikokan hold the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the province of Ontario. On 13 July 1936 the mercury climbed to .
| 1901 | 697 |
| 1911 | 1,611 |
| 1921 | 3,109 |
| 1931 | 5,470 |
| 1941 | 5,849 |
| 1951 | 8,038 |
| 1961 | 9,481 |
| 1971 | 9,947 |
| 1981 | 8,906 |
| 1991 | 8,891 |
| 1996 | 8,790 |
| 2001 | 8,315 |
| 2006 | 8,103 |
| 2011 | 7,952 |
| 2016 | 7,739 |
| 2021 | 7,470 |
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort Frances had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Fort Frances had a population of 7,739 people in 2016, which represents a decrease of 2.7% from the 2011 census count. The median household income in 2015 for Fort Frances was $62,928, which was below the Ontario provincial average of $74,287.
In 2021, Statistics Canada reported that the age demographic broke down as follows for Fort Frances:
Under 14 — 14.9%
15 to 24 — 11.2%
25 to 34 — 12.1%
35 to 44 — 10.4%
45 to 54 — 12.0%
55 to 64 — 16.0%
Over 65 — 23.4%
There are no local broadcast outlets or repeaters serving Fort Frances; Shaw Cable carries CBWT-DT (CBC Television), CBWFT-DT (Ici Radio-Canada Télé) and CKY-DT (CTV) from Winnipeg, CITV-DT (Global) from Edmonton, and TVO, plus CITY-DT (Citytv), CHCH-DT (independent), CFTM-DT (TVA, live feed) and TFO. CJBN-TV from Kenora used to be available on cable until it permanently signed off on January 27, 2017.
United States network programming on Shaw TV comes from Detroit (WDIV-TV, WXYZ-TV, WWJ-TV, and WTVS) and Rochester (WUHF); stations from the are not available on cable, though they are available over-the-air from repeaters in International Falls.
Another radio station, CKWO-FM FM 92.3 The Wolf, was licensed to the neighbouring Couchiching First Nation in 2003 Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2003-571, Native FM radio station in Fort Frances, CRTC, November 14, 2003 and launched in 2004. Its unknown when the station left the air; the CRTC renewed CKWO-FM's licence from 1 September 2012 to 28 February 2013, with no known license renewals since that date. Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-474, Various radio programming undertakings – Administrative renewals, CRTC, September 4, 2012
Northwest Catholic District School Board
Northwest Catholic District School Board
Fort Frances was the home of the former amateur sports teams:
Sporting facilities include :
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