Staff at Fort Frances Public Library speak out as northwestern Ontario town tightens budget

As municipalities across northwestern Ontario contend with tighter budgets, the union representing staff at the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre say the facility cannot afford any cutbacks.

The library requested a $27,000 budget increase in 2025. But town council approved only a $2,000 increase after the town's CEO directed all municipal departments to scale back their budget requests.

While the library is not a town department, it receives core funding from the municipality. Public libraries also receive support from the provincial government and rely heavily on community donations.

"The cost of operating this wonderful library that we have is becoming almost prohibitively expensive," said Fort Frances Mayor Andrew Hallikas.

In a news release issued last month, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 65 sounded the alarm about "significant cuts to library services in the year ahead" for Fort Frances.

According to the union, the library's management has shared plans to:

• Reduce the children and youth services co-ordinator to a part-time position.
• Eliminate student shelving positions.
• Change scheduling in a way that will further impact library services and hours.

The library's CEO did not agree to do an interview with CBC News by publication time.

The cost of operating this wonderful library that we have is becoming almost prohibitively expensive.​​​​- Andrew Hallikas, mayor of Fort Frances

"We as a library are a safe and welcoming place for everybody in our community, regardless of age, financial status and social circumstances. This year's cuts, unfortunately, are a reminder of the importance of our role in Fort Frances and the surrounding areas," said Evan Miller, the library's IT co-ordinator and CUPE 65 chair.

"We're not really asking for anything extreme, we're not even asking for wage increases. We just want to maintain staffing."

Library staff first voted to unionize last summer. 

Balancing municipal interests

About 7,400 people live in Fort Frances, which borders Minnesota. Its library offers physical and digital materials for loan and programming for people of all ages, Miller said.

It's not the only town in the region that's seen cutbacks to its public library; the Town of Marathon's public library is no longer open on Saturdays due to budget constraints.

"There is an emerging trend of municipalities kind of deprioritizing and defunding local libraries," Miller said. "Across Canada, across North America, frankly, management everywhere is expecting people to take on more work with fewer resources."

Hallikas describes the facility as "a jewel in our community."

However, he said the municipality has had to make tough choices amid escalating financial pressures. Last year's tax levy increase was 5.5 per cent, which Hallikas said is unsustainable for the town's aging population. 

This year, town council approved a 1.9 per cent tax levy increase.

"Libraries are the living room of the community and everyone is welcome there, and that's money really well spent. But also, it's money really well spent when you're looking at recreation, when you're looking at clean water, when you're looking at roads, when you're looking at sewer, when you're looking at museums," Hallikas said.

"The town has to balance everybody's interest across the spectrum of all departments."

Bridging gaps in social services

Nicole Dalmer is an assistant professor in social gerontology in the department of health, aging and society at McMaster University. She completed her masters and PhD in library and information science.

Her research shows the growing importance of libraries as community hubs, especially as funding for social services has declined.

"Public libraries are, I think, one of those last places where you can go and be without expectation of payment, they become this place of social connection and social inclusion," Dalmer said.

"It's warm or cold, depending on the time of year, there's comfortable places to sit. There are sometimes peer support workers or social workers as well."

While libraries shouldn't have to take on the role of providing social services, they are already indirectly doing so, Dalmer said. As such, she sees benefit in providing staff training to handle complex social challenges and deescalate situations.

As far as boosting public library budgets, "where we put our money is where we show what we value," she said.

Retired teacher and active library user Cynthia Woodland said she's contributed a significant amount paying overdue fines at the library over the years.

Woodland has brought many students through its doors, as well as her own children and now grandchildren.

"It's like the hub of the community," She said.

Woodland said she wishes the library was still open on Sundays. She added that she's sad to see the staff face further cutbacks.

"Literacy is a path to knowledge and a path to understanding and compassion," she said, "And it seems like in this world we need that access."