The two new trucks will be ready for service in early 2026. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

municipal update

Town council approves new fleet vehicles for fire department, grant for ski club

Oct 15, 2025 | 3:58 PM

La Ronge council recently approved the purchase of new command trucks for the fire department, a community grant for the La Ronge Ski Club, and a lease for the concession space at the Mel Hegland Uniplex.

While still subject to board approval and applicable cost sharing, council has permitted the La Ronge Regional Fire Department to purchase two command trucks from Saskatoon’s Dodge City Motors for a total of $147,000.

Documents prepared by town administration states out of the 10 bids that were received, Dodge City Motors provided the best value in terms of fleet discounts and were the only dealer to provide a further discount for purchasing from them. The total discount came to $35,782.

“Dodge City Motors was the second lowest quote for two units,” the document adds.

“The lowest quote was from Ripley Ford in Melfort at $143,541.92. The reason for this not being recommended was that it did not meet our minimum specs, such as having a longer box than what we wanted. Further, it did not meet our minimum payload requirements.”

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Vehicles to be replaced include a 2015 Ram 1500, which was originally scheduled for replacement in 2027, and a vehicle that was recently sold due to warranty and performance concerns. That truck experienced a failure during the Pisew wildfire when the engine went into low power mode and reduced its speed to 20 kilometers per hour.

Administration previously wrote that fortunately the incident occurred near the fire hall and not near the head of the wildfire as it would have put staff at serious risk.

The new trucks are to be fully placed into service in early 2026.

Also at the regular meeting on Tuesday, council approved a request from the La Ronge Ski Club to provide a community grant of $5,000. The funds will assist with rebuilding their Checkpoint 1 cabin, which was lost in a wildfire in June.

“Though not specifically expressed in the application’s budget, the ski club has indicated they plan to reach out [to] other regional partners for financial support towards this initiative and other remediation efforts,” administration advised.

With that request approved, it leaves council with just over $13,000 left in 2025 for individuals or groups who request a community grant. Seven other projects have already been approved.

Finally, council approved a lease to Kay’s Kitchen to lease the lobby concession space at the Mel Hegland Uniplex. The term of the agreement is from November 1 to October 31, 2026, with rent set at $800 per month, which includes utilities such as waste management, water, sewer, heat, power, and internet.

Council continues to seek an organization to lease the former Wolves Den, as well as what’s been termed the Wolves Side which includes main level office spaces, a reception desk, bathroom, change rooms, and a storage hallway.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com