Robert Pacey Sr. unsuccessfully ran in the town's 2021 and 2022 byelections. (submitted photo/Robert Pacey Sr.)

By Derek Cornet

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Newest town councillor lays out concerns ahead of upcoming term

Sep 4, 2024 | 1:34 PM

Robert Pacey Sr., the only non-existing member of council to be acclaimed following a recent call for nominations for a municipal election, has several areas of concern he’d like to address.

Pacey would like to find solutions and form partnership to tackle issues such as crime, vandalism, addictions and homelessness. He also noted the municipality needs to create a plan to address the expansion, repair and upgrades to local water and sewer infrastructure.

“One of my biggest concerns is just trying to find places for people to live,” Pacey said.

“A lot of times homelessness is because we don’t have enough places for people to be housed. Also, my employer has a hard time trying to find places for our employees to live, too. That’s one of the setbacks in our community because it’s hard to attract people to come into the community when there is no place for them to live.”

Pacey also mentioned creating new housing in La Ronge should be a priority considering the new long-term care facility will require nearly 150 new employees and those people are going to need to be housed.

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Pacey explained he’d also like to see more done to address mental health and he thinks the town needs more of those kind of workers.

“We have a lot of agencies, I believe, in town for addictions,” he said.

“On the reserve with the new wellness centre, I’m not sure how it is running right now if they have enough staff. I hear they are even having problems trying to staff that facility.”

To address crime and vandalism, Pacey would like to see more police officers in La Ronge, as well as an overhaul to federal laws. He thinks crime and vandalism are driven by repeat offenders who are being released into the public with little to no consequences for their actions.

Pacey moved to La Ronge in 1989. He is currently semi-employed as an aircraft maintenance engineer and he runs a small vending machine business.

In the past, he spent 18 years as a volunteer with the La Ronge Regional Fire Department and he has also been the chairperson of the La Ronge Regional Housing Authority for about 21 of his 25 years of service with the group.

Pacey, who ran unsuccessfully for council in the November 2021 and 2022 byelections, doesn’t know why there wasn’t more interest by the public to run for council in what was supposed to be a general election this October.

“I figured there would be quite a few candidates that put their names forward. I can’t speculate. I know there is quite a few people in the community who are community-minded,” he said.

“I’m just happy to be at the table and I am hoping there is a couple more people that put their name forward and we all work together to find solutions to the tri-community’s problems and La Ronge problems to make this a better place.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com