Olivia Grandy
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The town of Duck Lake — a place with rich Métis history, located about an hour northeast of Saskatoon — says it is putting its name up for sale if there is a successful bidder.
In what town officials describe as “a bold, unprecedented move aimed at rewriting its future while honouring its storied past,” Duck Lake announced it is officially inviting corporate partners to bid for the naming rights to the community.
The town’s council on Wednesday voted 3-2 in favour of the initiative, which it says “aims to raise transformative funding to kickstart revitalization efforts, from new housing and business incentives to community infrastructure, cultural investment and economic development.”
The partnership would give a company full naming rights, resulting in “Duck Lake” being replaced by “Brand Name, Saskatchewan.”
Recently, the town council started a new economic development committee. Mayor Jason Anderson, who grew up in Duck Lake, said infrastructure replacement would be the first priority if a successful bid comes to fruition.
“The first thing that we would need to have done, though, is the water and sewer lines so that we actually can have our roads done properly,” he said.
The town will accept tenders until March 31, 2026. After that, Anderson says, residents will have the opportunity to vote on which bidder, if any, should take the community’s name.
“Renaming a town as historic as Duck Lake doesn’t come cheap,” he said. “We’re not talking about a rink or a stadium here — we’re talking about a living, breathing community with deep roots in Canada’s story. Brands will need to put their best foot forward if they want to be part of that legacy.
“If it were here in Saskatchewan, how about Nutrien, Viterra, Cameco? Would they want their names on this? Possibly.”
Right now, Anderson emphasized this call for bids “is just a discussion and that’s it.
“Five million won’t cut it. But $10 million? That’s worth asking the community about,” he said.
Some local pushback
Anderson says he understands why some in his community are pushing back. The initiative was passed by a 3-2 vote in council.
“It’s completely the unknown, and it’s just a scary concept for some, but … there is a lot of history in this town,” he said.
The Battle of Duck Lake is recognized as a national historic site, commemorating the first battle in the 1885 Northwest Resistance, which took place on March 26, 1885, at a location now within Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation near the town.
Anderson says Duck Lake, which has a population of about 580, has always been closely connected to Beardy’s and Okemasis.
The town is located at the junction of the Prince Albert Trail and the Carlton Trail. It was the midway point between Métis headquarters in Batoche and the North-West Mounted Police at Fort Carlton.
Duck Lake was incorporated as a village in 1894 and as a town in 1911.
“Duck Lake has always been more than a dot on the map. It’s been a symbol of resilience, identity and possibility,” Anderson said.
“Now we’re inviting forward-thinking companies to write the next chapter with us.”
