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The current council for the Town of Duck Lake has a former council member confused and concerned for the future of his town.
On Wednesday night the Town of Duck Lake announced it had voted in favour of selling the naming rights to the town, something that blindsided many residents, including Denis Poirier.
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Poirier spent 31 years on the town council, 15 as deputy mayor and seven as mayor, from 2012 to 2019. He said when he heard the news he thought it was a joke.
“I did not believe it at first, I wasn’t at the meeting when they announced it,” he said.
“I heard of it that same night, and I think it’s kind of ridiculous. You start changing a town name you’re affecting everybody in the area.”
Current mayor, Jason Anderson, told CKOM and CJME that the name change has been in discussion for well over a year, but Poirier alleges not a single member in the town was made aware of it until the announcement.
“Nobody knew about it, it hadn’t come out,” he said. “It was a shock to everybody and people were leaving (the meeting) mad — and they even left before it was over.”
Many town residents were at the meeting and Poirier said many felt betrayed.
“People were blindsided, and there’s a lot of controversy over it right now,” he said.
Poirier said it’s not really a shock that people weren’t made aware of the proposed change.
“That’s something that happens with this mayor, there’s really no communication,” he said.
“As far as I’m concerned you don’t see him at the functions most of the time, he’s not visible, he doesn’t talk to people.”
Poirier said any name change would affect people in ways he’s not sure the council fully considered.
“You have to change your address, you have to change labels, medical cards, licences, everything,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s feasible, I don’t think it’s anything worthwhile they’re trying to do.”
Poirier also wonders if Mayor Jason Anderson had fully thought about the name change.
“I think he doesn’t realize all the hoops you’d have to go through to get that done,” he said.
“It has to be approved by local government, federal government, provincial government, it has to go up the line.”
Duck Lake has a rich history
Duck Lake is also a place filled with rich history. The first bullets in the 1885 Louis Riel rebellion were fired just west of Duck Lake, and Poirier is concerned what a potential name change could do.
“It’s in the history books,” he said. “Are you going to try to change all the history books because there’s a name change?”
The vote to sell the naming rights was passed by a slim majority, and Poirier says most of those who voted in favour aren’t from town.
“Two of the councillors that voted for it are really not from Duck Lake,” he said.
“They’re not born in Duck Lake, they haven’t been raised in Duck Lake, they don’t reside in Duck Lake right now.”
Poirier would like to see this idea scrapped, and for the current members of council to speak and listen to those in the community.
— with files from CKOM News
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