I do live in Kirkland Lake, and I can't agree that the article is very factual. KL does have a huge substance abuse problem, which our mayor denies. Town council has actively opposed (behind the scenes) establishing a methadone clinic in town; instead hundreds of thousands of dollars per year are spent on taxis every year sending patients to another community 40 km away for treatment. (That's not a typo; each methadone patient is taken once a day to Englehart, at a cost of $70/day per patient. I'm told the taxis take three or four at a time, and charge multiple fares for one trip, but that's another story...). 
 As for the economy improving; that might be true for a few, but not for most. Trying to find employment above minimum wage is next to impossible, unless you are related to someone, or know someone. Employment at or below minimum wage is not so easy to find either. (And yes, many local employers pay less than minimum wage under the table, including one or two of the companies the town is using to demolish derelict buildings around town. But that's another story...) 
 I won't even go into how the town selectively enforces some bylaws to benefit the "old boy network" in a few cases, because that would be considered impolite in this town. 
 KL survived the closing of the mines; I wonder if it will survive the attentions of its "leading citizens".