“We need a lot of things in this town,” said Tracy Fiske, an agent with Century-21 La Ronge, which is one of two real estate offices in the area. La Ronge has no McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Home Depot or Canadian Tire and, if you want a Starbucks latte, you have to drive two-and-a-half hours south to Prince Albert. Not that many likely would. La Ronge is not a latte type of town.
“We really need a sports store,” Fiske said, preferably stocked with fishing and hunting gear.
La Ronge has a low unemployment rate, with most working in one of the five uranium mines and mills that radiate north from the town and are operated by Saskatoon-based Cameco Corp. or Areva Resources.
Others have government jobs with the local hospital, the RCMP or town hall, or work in the retail services sector and tourism.
The housing market is steady, Fiske said, with prices for bungalows starting around $200,000 and larger, two-storey homes selling in the $350,000 range.
About a dozen new houses were built last year, she added.
Approximately 2,000 aboriginals live on the adjacent Lac La Ronge Indian Band reserve, which has established the Kitsaki Management Limited Partnership to oversee 10 different companies and help provide aboriginal employment.
Quick facts: La Ronge, SK
Population 3,500
Location 380 km north of Saskatoon
Avg. house price $225,000
Potential Mining, tourism
This article from the August 2012 Western Investor.
