La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushniak said the time to invest in economic development is now. (Submitted photo/Colin Ratushniak)

By Derek Cornet

economic development

La Ronge strategic plan includes attracting anchor businesses

Apr 29, 2021 | 12:58 PM

La Ronge council has developed a strategic plan to assist in guiding their decisions until 2025.

The list includes 18 objectives in a number of areas such as community wellness, recreation, infrastructure and more. In the economic development and tourism category, council is looking to hire an economic development coordinator, improve the community’s profile, attract more anchor businesses, develop a highway economic corridor and create an economic case for provincial investment in regional infrastructure.

The plan was discussed during a two-day strategic planning session held earlier this month.

“There’s a lot of new members on council, but it was nice to see everyone was essentially on the same page and we weren’t on opposite spectrums on what we want to see moving forward,” La Ronge Mayor Colin Ratushniak said. “In a strange way, it brought council even closer together, which is always a great thing when you want to build a better and stronger community.”

When it comes to attracting more anchor businesses to La Ronge, Ratushniak explained part of the problem has to do with the lack of readily available commercial space in the municipality. He also noted there’s no highway corridor, so many people can pass right through the tri-communities and not know the full extent of the services available.

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“We recognize there is a huge opportunity for us to make an impact and do big things by investing now,” Ratushniak said. “Hopefully four years and beyond, we can start seeing some big growth happening in our communities.”

Ratushniak also mentioned the hiring of an economic development coordinator will be key to bring those ideas into reality. He added the tri-communities are essentially the hub of northern Saskatchewan and it’s a good time for residents to think about how the town wants to be viewed provincially or nationally in the future.

Other objectives in the strategic plan include developing plans for downtown, parks and open spaces, and the competition of a Mel Helgand Uniplex feasibility study. A variety of strategies will also be developing for asset management, animal control, community policing, communications and poverty reduction.

There’s also plans for La Ronge staff and council to be provided reconciliation education, as well as a leadership roundtable with regional partners.

“We all recognize La Ronge and the tri-communities has the ability to really grow and really turn a page in how we’re seen,” Ratushniak said. “Those key areas are going to be important for us to work on, so we can continue to evolve in sort of what our brand is going to be moving forward.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno