Pharmacist Rhys Frostad defines his town as a progressive community. Originally settled by Belgian French pioneers, a unique feature about the town is the population’s geographic location at the intersection of Highway 58 going north-south and Highway 13 travelling east-west.
“So long as Lafleche has something they need, they’ll stop in Lafleche,” Frostad said. He also listed the town’s various services for motorists, including a grocery store, a pharmacy, a restaurant, a bar, a café, an automotive parts shop, a gas station and other amenities. Within the Town of Lafleche and the R.M. of Wood River No. 74 there is a remarkable assortment of businesses in the region. While the greater part of businesses in Lafleche are open from Monday to Saturday, the town’s Co-op Gas Bar is accessible seven days a week.
Frostad is originally from Kincaid, but he’s been living in Lafleche for 20 years, where he’s worked as the town’s pharmacist. He’s also served in leadership roles in Lafleche. “I was the town mayor for four years. I’ve been the deputy major for two and a half years.”
Lafleche once existed as the village of Buffalo Head, which was located where the cemetery is beside Highway 13. The town’s name was changed to Lafleche after Louis-François Laflèche, who had been a Catholic bishop inTrois-Rivières and an Oblate missionary in Western Canada. The town also moved to its present location across the road in 1913 when the Canadian Pacific Railway came through the area. In the same year, several businesses were established in Lafleche, including Beaver Lumber, the Lafleche Cafe, Murphy's Pool Hall and the Metropole Hotel. A telegraph service was founded in Lafleche on December 1, 1913.
In the 1930s, Lafleche experienced a beautification project, where boulevards were laid out adjacent to Main Street and trees were planted. Today, the treed avenues make Lafleche a remarkable, distinctive and beautiful town.
Frostad is filled with civic pride when he describes why he enjoys living in Lafleche. Yet, he’s concerned for the town’s future. “We really have a challenge, because our provincial and federal governments have a bias towards centralization, where they’re encouraging mega cities and discouraging villages and towns.” Frostad also mentioned the rural-urban divide existing in Canada, where city dwellers in the country are unaware of the nation’s agricultural producers. “There’s a lack of awareness that ag is even necessary,” Frostad said. “People are completely unaware of what goes on in agriculture.”
However, Frostad is also hopeful for Lafleche’s prospects as he talked about the possibility of the oil industry moving into town, believing there is an opportunity for the community to experience a prosperous future. Frostad also discussed the town’s new reverse osmosis water treatment plant, with partial funding from the provincial and federal governments. Indeed, this crossroads community is a town moving onwards to new opportunities.
