Casual employees are needed to keep the Lac La Ronge Visitor Centre open during weekends. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

tourism

Visitor centre expanding hours, seeking products from local artisans and vendors

Jul 17, 2025 | 5:00 PM

The Lac La Ronge Visitor Centre is expanding its hours to be open during weekends, and is once again asking artisans to submit their work to be sold.

It comes after a lengthy period of reorganization for the Woodlands and Waterways Regional Development Corporation board, which operates the centre located in Air Ronge. In recent years, the board had shut the centre down due to financial problems, as well as issues with staffing.

“It was a slow process … [with] the financial crisis that came out unexpectedly,” said board chairperson James Hope Howard. “We are fully passed that, which is very exciting to be done with that and have that chapter behind us.”

While the board continues to look for casual employees to expand its hours, this past weekend marked the first time since the Tony Cote Summer Games in August 2024 that the centre has been open on a weekend.

Also, following a hard reset after the centre’s closure, the board has resumed accepting products from local vendors to be sold to visitors. Those interested in having their product sold at the centre can pick up an information package or have one emailed to them.

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“We’ve got an artisan subcommittee of the board in place,” Howard remarked.

“They have been accepting applications for more artisans and anyone who would like to be on the list.”

Howard explained it is important for the tri-communities to have the Lac La Ronge Visitor Centre open because it is a valuable resource for both residents and tourists. Information about the area can be accessed, and it also allows for an opportunity to showcase the Lac La Ronge region and Northern Saskatchewan as a whole.

“The Northern Saskatchewan Archives room is fully set up,” he said.

“We’ve actually moved that into a larger space now, so people who haven’t been in the centre for a while may not be aware that the Northern Saskatchewan Archives, which is housed at Pahkisimon Nuye?áh Library System headquarters has a few displays of local history and archival material, including some really good diorama displays that John Irving, a local historian, has put together. I am really keen to have people go in and check that out, in addition to the vendor listings and other things.”

Howard noted the board is also working to launch more sub-committees, such as one for events. He added it is important to get more people involved and sub-committees are a good way of doing that.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com