The tourism centre in Air Ronge will now be open Monday to Friday. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

open house

Tourism centre in Air Ronge reopens

Jan 2, 2024 | 5:10 PM

For the first time in more than eight months, the Lac La Ronge Tourism Centre opened its doors to the public on Monday.

The centre, which is operated by local municipalities and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, has been closed since April after it was discovered taxes reportedly haven’t been paid since 2016. That issue, along with several uncashed cheques, left the centre approximately $69,000 in debt.

Since being hired by the board in August 2023, general manager Breanna Parbst has been busy getting the centre ready for reopening, as well as collecting information through surveys and organizing strategic planning sessions for the board.

“I am very excited for this new opportunity and it is a change, but is it a change that hopefully will engage a lot of people and I am very excited for it,” she said.

During an open house on Monday, visitors were able to see the results of the surveys, and provide any feedback about the ongoings in the centre’s future. Key takeaways from the surveys were to enhance tourism by focusing on cultural showcases and improving facilities, supporting artisans and businesses through better marketing and display strategies, and to foster collaboration and representation of Indigenous culture in tourism.

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The surveys also showed a need to address the challenges of visibility, funding and resource access in the tourism centre. For the time being, local artisans will not be permitted to sell their products at the centre, which was a major draw for visitors in the past.

“What we did when we created the survey was to see what the community really wanted,” Parbst said.

“The people who did respond said they really want to focus on tourism and that’s what we are doing. We want to support artisans and really be the person to direct people to certain artists in the area. It is up to our board if we want to have a pop up shop or have a market in the area.”

Hours of operation for the centre will be Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with reduced hours on Fridays and closed on the weekends. Parbst noted the centre could open on weekends in the future if it is sustainable and when there is more capacity.

“We want to focus on four different pillars like developing and creating an amazing tourism experience,” Parbst said.

“Create and engage is mainly about creating that experience, so talking with business owners and what not to create a tourism package for various tourists that come to the area. We really wanted to be a responsible organization, so everything that we are doing is intentional. We have checks and stops where they need to be.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com