About Mayor Dan Onichuk
I was born and raised in Fort Frances with my three sisters, my parents Tom and Ann. Growing up in the east end of town I went to school at F.H Huffman, Robert Moore, then to Westfort High and eventually Fort Frances High. My first job was as a paper carrier for the Fort Frances Times. Then I moved on to Wildes Electric, Camp Manitou, Canada Safeway, and in 1982 moved to Thunder Bay to start a career with United Food and Commercial Workers. Back in 2001, after several months of discussions with my wife Denise and looking at various opportunities we decided to leave the fast paced, smog-filled life in southern Ontario and raise our young family back in my home town of Fort Frances. Denise and I have five young children at home and an older daughter who lives and works in the Cambridge area. After we got settled back in Fort Frances, I did some consulting work, teaching, and worked with a close friend in the construction industry.
After two years of observing how the mayor and council were dealing with all the problems of the day and the direction that we were heading, it was apparent to me that change was needed. As opposed to having a clear, long term plan with input from the residents, it seemed that council was only reacting to the issues as they were raised (crisis management). Longstanding issues (for example: downtown business stability, the need for a truck route to get the trucks off Scott street and away from residential and recreation areas, north end access, to name a few) had not been addressed. With the encouragement of many old friends, I made a commitment to dedicate my time to lead our community into the future. Following a successful campaign for the mayor’s chair, I have worked hard for the best interest of all residents in and around Fort Frances.
Although since day one some councilors have been on a campaign to discredit me personally and/or discourage discussion on change, to the most important issues that will face us into the future. I will continue to raise these issues so that the residents will be aware and have input into the future of our town.
This website is intended to keep people informed on the ongoing issues our community is faced with, provide my views on them, and also keep family, friends and the curious up to date about what’s going on in the life of Mayor Dan.
