Townspeople of Duck Lake will make final name change decision

“There could be multiple voting process, it depends on just how many bids we get in. If there’s only one, then it’ll just be everybody will have to come place their ballot and is it yes or no,” he said.

“But there could be three different options, there could be three companies that have come in and did them individually, and then after that we would have to discuss which ones we would actually contemplate, if any.”

Council deliberately left the details loose to see what sort of bids or proposals come back and can opt to back out. They also acknowledge they might not get any proposals.

Anderson envisions anything from a donor person or company paying the sponsorship and allowing the name to stay Duck Lake, to a company wanting ‘this is Duck Lake, brought to you by….”.

They are looking for sealed bids and will be taking them until March 31, 2026 so they can be opened during their regular meeting in April.

Council will go through the proposals to make sure they are viable and then have to put the ones that work onto a ballot or to some form of public vote.

He empathizes with the shock residents felt when they first made the announcement last week, but said it was necessary to keep the idea under wraps because the interest factor is what might make it work for them and that exists because the idea is a first.

“They wouldn’t get the same kind of publicity that we’re getting off this one, because this is the first time it’s being done,” Anderson said. “That’s why we had to keep it under our hat too, because I didn’t want somebody scooping us on this.”

All municipalities struggle with providing a high level of service to residents and visitors while keeping their property tax rates low. Duck Lake is no exception.

One of the biggest complaints town hall gets is the about the state of the roads in the town, but in order to fix them, council first needs to upgrade their water and sewer lines.

Anderson said there is another town near them that is double their size and just redid those services at a cost of $10 million.

The numbers make him speculate about what could be done in Duck Lake with the same amount of money.

“With $10 million, that’s why it’s bare bones but that should take care of pretty much our water and sewer lines and either all – or close to all – of our roads. Is it worth it to lose your name over that? It’s up to the townspeople.”

Duck Lake is a uniquely historic community and that might be the source of some of the pushback from the public.

One local resident has started a petition at change.org to put the notion of a name change to rest.

“As members of the Duck Lake community, we cannot stand by and allow our historic town to lose not just its name, but a significant part of its identity,” reads the petition.

“Duck Lake (Lac-aux-Canards) boasts a rich and impactful history that dates back to its settlement by French-speaking Métis from Manitoba in the 1860s and 1870s. Officially incorporated as a village in 1894 and later a town in 1911, Duck Lake played a pivotal role during the early development of Saskatchewan. Our town’s legacy is inseparable from the tapestry of Saskatchewan and Canada’s history, making it an important landmark.”

The petition urges mayor and council to re-think their idea but also does not address how to pay for infrastructure maintenance and according to Anderson, that is something the residents will decide.

“It was an important question, though, and it needed to be asked. And it’s tough, though, because we are such a historical town and that’s why there is a lot of pushback on this,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, people have to understand, you know what, would you prefer to have your infrastructure actually taken care of?”

The town has received no proposals so far, but Anderson said it’s early days yet.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social

by Susan McNeil

Townspeople of Duck Lake will make final name change decision

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