Know anyone with a welder? Since it's a winter beater/commuter, I'd simply fix that hole by reinforcing that area with a shaped piece of steel. In its current condition, it'll fail, and can rather dramatically.
I'd remove the paint around the area, take a Dremel and grind smooth and round the hole to prevent stress fractures. Then place a shaped steel 'collar' around the wound and weld it in place.

And if you're going to ride the death fork, might as well pin it as you mentioned. If it should separate, the pinning will prevent you from a painful face-plant and dental work.