Linda Arcand is the 2024 Citizen of the Year. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

award winners

Arcand wins Citizen of the Year

Oct 30, 2024 | 2:02 PM

Linda Arcand of La Ronge has been named the tri-community’s Citizen of the Year.

She was announced as the 2024 recipient of the award at the La Ronge and District Chamber of Commerce’s Tri-Community Awards Gala on Saturday.

Previous winners of the award include Hannah Bathgate, Daina Lapworth and Becky McKenzie.

“I knew [I was nominated] about a week ago, but I thought what are they going to vote for me for. I didn’t think anything of it,” Arcand said.

“I found out from my daughter-in-law Vivana. She came in here. I had a barbecue and told them to come have something to eat, and she told me I won. I was very surprised.”

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Arcand has been a resident of La Ronge since March 1974 at the age of 18. She was pregnant with her son, Sheldon, at the time, and she began working at Vanco Foods in 1975. Arcand continued working there until 2013 and she began her current career at the Lake Country Co-op Food Store in 2014.

Since moving to La Ronge all those years ago, Arcand has witnessed many changes.

“At first, I didn’t want to live here because there was only the trailer courts and that was it,” she explained.

“There was nothing. There was no Cook Crescent, there was no Studer Street, no Sunrise Apartments. The main street was gravel. You could get your vehicle stuck and hung up on a rock.”

In the last decade, Arcand has become well-known in her position at the Co-op as a cashier. She can remember numerous membership numbers and often doesn’t need to ask customers for it when they come to her till.

“I never really started writing anything down,” Arcand said.

“It’s just the way the customers say it to me. Some of them are just kind of singing it to me, so I remember. It’s how people say it to me. Once they start coming five or six times, then it kind of gets into my head.”

Other winners at the Tri-Community Awards Gala were Karli Carr for the Hugh Watt Legacy Award, Kevin Roberts for Employee of the Year, La Ronge Elks for Non-Profit of the Year, Laura Hrdlicka for Entrepreneur of the Year, La Ronge General Store for Business of the Year (one to five employees), and Pawsitive Attitude Dog Training for Business of the Year (six or more employees).

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com