First Nations set up Toll booth.

[justinmb]

There has been an interesting situation develop in North Western ON where I originally grew up.

I still keep tabs on the area of small towns, I thought some might want to check it out and chime in since most the time these smaller towns do not get much national press I thought I would pass it on.

http://www.fftimes.com/node/233800

 

[Machjo]

Damned foreigners. They should go back to where they came from. If they don't like this country, why did they come here in the first place. You don't come to a country to try to change it; you come and adapt to the local indigenous population...

... oh, wait a minute...

 

[L Gilbert]

Cool. Another indication of self-support.

 

[justinmb]

I cant help but wonder what would be said if the residents of Fort Frances put up their own Toll booths adjacent to Couchiching's and charged them a dollar to leave the reserve.

I personally think there would be a bigger response and they would be forced to remove them another good example of the double standard that exists between the two communities (this is just my own speculation though)

 

[petros]

I'm impressed with the OPP

 

[justinmb]

For those not familliar with the area you must pass through Couchiching to get to Fort Frances unless you take a 4+ hour detour around it is a very nice drive but not practical for those who work in Fort Frances

 

[Machjo]

This could be a tax-saving measure too. Let them keep the booth and charge however much they want, but give them responsibility to maintain the highway. Then they could use the money collected from the toll fees to maintain the highway. Saves tax spending there.

 

[Machjo]

For those not familliar with the area you must pass through Couchiching to get to Fort Frances unless you take a 4+ hour detour around it is a very nice drive but not practical for those who work in Fort Frances

And this is where the local First Nation risks shooting itself in the foot if the toll booth remains for too long (e.g. one or two years). If the toll booth remains for too long, people living in one town and working in the other will eventually just adjust their lifestyle so as to live and work in the same town. Once that happens, profits from the toll would eventually decline.

 

[justinmb]

I agree they have handled the situation well.

It is a bit touchey because Couchiching is a 3 minute drive from Fort Frances and a lot of the kids go to school in Fort Frances and a lot of the People work in Fort Frances the two community's are usually quite amicable so it almost like two neighbors having a disagreement.

 

[justinmb]

A good point but unfortunately Rainy Lake is on the other side a very lucrative cottage area and the next closest town of any size is Atikokan 1-2 hours away or Dryden which is about the same distance not a lot of options for the average commuter.

Neither Town has an economy that could take on the workforce so the next best option would be Thunder Bay 3-4 hours away. Which most Truckers need to get to and if they do not go through Couchiching it doubles the time of there trip.

With the addition of Fort Frances being a border town with Minnesota and a lot of tourist wanting to fish in Rainy Lake they have a good food hold for such an action

 

[Risus]

“But on the other side of the coin, we’ve had people that have made a number of derogatory remarks, mostly racist in nature,” noted Chief McPherson.
What the hell did he expect? Everyone to be happy with it???
Personally I wouldn't have a problem tossing a loonie into their drum once in a while, depending where the money is actually going.

 

[Risus]

I cant help but wonder what would be said if the residents of Fort Frances put up their own Toll booths adjacent to Couchiching's and charged them a dollar to leave the reserve.

I personally think there would be a bigger response and they would be forced to remove them another good example of the double standard that exists between the two communities (this is just my own speculation though)

I suspect you are correct on that point.

 

[captain morgan]

This toll booth will backfire on this group. Fact is that the people in both communities rely on access to each other.

Chances are that is plenty of opportunity for the withdrawal of all kinds of services that would be nothing more than a lose-lose for everyone involved.

 

[Liberalman]

Times have sure changed in the old day the police would have busted heads and thrown the trouble maker Indians in jail.

The Aboriginals have come a long way and police had to learn the hard way that discrimination of groups would not be in their best interest.

Aboriginals have become proactive in dealing with government authorities where before this would have been a local issue today this could escalate into a national problem.

Oka and Caledonia were major game changers where the police have to keep the peace before it blows up in their faces.

Ever since the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which was enacted in 1982 things have slowly changed.

This toll situation is a payback for governments of past putting a public road through reservation against the wishes of the Aboriginals

I am sure that other reservations will follow because it's a good money maker.