Colin Ratushniak said he still misses La Ronge, but is finding new opportunities in Vancouver. (submitted photo/Colin Ratushniak)

By Derek Cornet

anniversary

‘La Ronge gave me so much’: Ratushniak looks back one year after resigning as mayor

Jul 19, 2023 | 5:00 PM

It was one year ago today Colin Ratushniak surprised residents of La Ronge with his sudden resignation as mayor of the small, northern community to find more opportunities in bustling Vancouver.

Although Ratushniak lived in La Ronge a little over three years, he captured the trust of many and was elevated to the position of mayor only 18 months after moving to town. His departure seemed as fast as his arrival, however, and he moved to Vancouver just weeks after announcing his resignation in July 2022.

“Things are kind of new, evolving and changing. The last year has been absolutely crazy,” he said. “I went and accepted a position with Flair and moved to Vancouver … and had a fantastic time working with Flair, but as of just last week, I accepted a position with Air Canada and now I’m going to be flying the flag, as they say, with the company and I am quite excited.”

Ratushniak explained ever since he was a child, he dreamed of flying planes for Air Canada. While he doesn’t know which routes he will be flying yet, he will be operating some of the company’s largest planes.

“They are aiming to be a top 10 airline in the world,” Ratushniak said. “I think there’s something like 6,000 pilots or something like that so, it’s a brand that sticks out and it’s something that I think definitely most pilots aim to achieve in their career.”

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While Ratushniak could be posted in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal or Toronto, he’s hoping to stay in Vancouver. He noted he’s fallen in love with the city and it’s a place he’d like to continue living.

Colin Ratushniak is involved in several gay hockey leagues. (submitted photo/Colin Ratushniak)

Colin Ratushniak was able to find an LGBT community in Vancouver. (submitted photo/Colin Ratushniak)

Although the busy lifestyle in Vancouver might seem a world away from La Ronge to many, Ratushniak has continued to play a pivotal role in the community during the last year. He most recently organized Pride Month activities in June with local Pride committee president Dean Sanderson running events on the ground.

“Last year, when I had to abruptly leave, there wasn’t enough time to pass everything along, so I was there as support this year and I really worked with the community and the committee to produce what I thought we some quite incredible events, which turned out fantastic,” Ratushniak said.

“I’ve officially relinquished my duties with the committee, so that is now with the new committee that is coming in, but I will always be in a support position.”

When Ratushniak left La Ronge, one of the reasons he cited was the lack of LGBT people in the community his age. While in Vancouver, he’s been able to start dating and has joined several gay sports leagues such as hockey, dodgeball, curling, soccer and softball. He also does CrossFit six days per week and would like to start volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

As for La Ronge, Ratushniak mentioned he was happy to see Mayor Joe Hordyski attend recent Pride events, along with representatives from the Liberal, NDP and Sask. Party. He also was happy to see Coun. Jordan McPhail become the next provincial NDP candidate for the Cumberland riding.

“It’s looking like an amazing place to be, and I still miss it,” Ratushniak said.

“La Ronge gave me so much and was such a supportive place for me to be, even during the pandemic, and really one of the most challenging times in our generation. You can take the boy out of La Ronge, but you can’t take La Ronge out of the boy.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno