Olivia Grandy
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The call for corporate bidders to rename the town of Duck Lake, Sask. — a place with rich Métis history — has expired without any bids.
Residents will face increased taxes as a result, Mayor Jason Anderson told the StarPhoenix in a recent interview.
After sending letters offering the town’s naming rights to more than 100 companies, Anderson says he’s not necessarily surprised his initiative didn’t receive any corporate attention by the March 31 deadline.
“I would have actually been surprised if we would have gotten a few. I would have been happy if we would have got at least one,” said Anderson, who was elected in November 2024.
“The publicity that came from this one, though, it’s been absolutely amazing … No matter what, this was going to be a win for our town.”
The unconventional offer generated heated pushback from some residents, with a petition opposing the name change reaching more than 1,000 signatures. The name Duck Lake is recognized in Cree (sîsîp-sâkahikan) and French (Lac-aux-Canards), holding deep historical significance for many.
However, the expiration of the offer, which set a minimum bid of $10 million, comes with a potential increase in property taxes, as the community grapples with aging infrastructure.
For Anderson, addressing the hot-button issue of rundown roads, which are commonly dug up to repair the town’s old underground pipes, was the goal of the renaming initiative.
He says property values were assessed at a lower rate last year, leaving some wiggle room for municipal dollars. Yet, this year, taxes will go up for Duck Lake residents, still falling short of the transformative capital that Anderson and his supporters were hoping for.
“I mean, we have a tax base of a million and a half dollars a year. That’s everything that we’ve got,” he said.
“It’s not to say that we can’t do some work every year, but without proper planning … You’re talking a good 20 to 30 years, by the time we can ever actually start to really get some things done.”
The 2026-27 Saskatchewan budget, which passed with a $819-million deficit, saw an eight per cent increase in Municipal Revenue Sharing, with Saskatoon and Regina receiving the largest individual slices of the pool.
Although Anderson says more money from the province would be nice, he recognizes that taxpayers will eventually be on the hook for the provincial deficit, so it is up to municipalities to balance their books.
Petition creator Melanie Epp, who opposed the renaming plan, says she is simply happy she was prepared with documented pushback if a bid was made.
“It’s my home, and to most of us, it’s just that: Our home, our history, our youth,” she said.
Although Epp and Anderson disagreed on the approach, they say they both want change for Duck Lake.
“I’m hoping that, yeah, in five (to) ten years, our town is going to change, people are going to want to participate in coming up with ideas and maybe fundraisers and stuff like that, and see how we can get our town back,” Epp said.
She added that a new grocery store built by Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation across from the nearby gas station could attract visitors.
Anderson says he doesn’t plan on putting out any more high-profile offers.
“That was the big one. I don’t have anything else up my sleeve,” he said, noting the publicity has drawn more people into the town, including a couple of housing developers, but a deal has yet to be made.
At the beginning of the year, Duck Lake began offering a $5,000 incentive for anyone who buys a lot and builds. In 2024, the town of Moosomin made news for offering $30,000 to those building homes.
“I, for one, don’t want to see this town die. So what am I doing? I’m not just concentrating on what the past was. I’m trying to build for the future,” Anderson said.
