Most Eagle Point residents seem happy with the way things are. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Survey results

Eagle Point residents opposed to joining La Ronge

Apr 16, 2019 | 12:27 PM

The majority of Eagle Point residents believe there are no advantages to joining the Town of La Ronge and seem to be happy with their current situation in the subdivision.

That’s according to results from the Community Servicing and Growth Survey, which was distributed to Eagle Point residents last month. The survey revealed 76 per cent of respondents wouldn’t be comfortable with an increase in taxes corresponding to an increase in services. Seventy-four per cent saw no advantages to joining the Town of La Ronge. Sixty-five per cent answered they would not be in support of Northern Municipal Services entering into a servicing agreement with the town for services such as water, sewer, garbage removal, roads and lighting improvements, recreation and bylaw enforcement.

“For years, and I’m probably talking a decade, there has been discussion about why Eagle Point is a separate entity and not part of La Ronge given it’s basically attached to it, and they utilize all of our services,” La Ronge Mayor Ron Woytowich said. “It finally came to the point where some on council felt it was time to find out if those that were at Eagle Point themselves were the least bit interested, or how they would feel about the town making an approach to the government to turn it over.”

While paying no taxes to the town, residents of Eagle Point answered the services most used in La Ronge are commercial businesses and Canada Post. The Mel Hegland Uniplex and the Alex Robertson Public Library are also heavily used, as are schools, parks and recreational trails. When it comes to services being brought to Eagle Point, 26 per cent of residents wanted a municipal water line, 19 per cent wanted a communal waste water line and another 19 per cent wanted road upgrades/street lighting. Another 17 per cent wanted garbage removal.

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If the town were to expand services to Eagle Point, 58 per cent answered federal and provincial grants would pay for the work, while 20 per cent believed it would lead to an increase in the La Ronge mill rate across the municipality and 19 per cent thought a local improvement levy would be imposed on those benefitting from the services.

“They use everything we do. Maybe it’s time they were actually part of the town,” Woytowich said. “The truth is the benefit is they would share in everything in the town and I’m sure a few of them would run for council, which would be a good thing.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno