Former colleagues remember longtime Prince Albert Northcote MLA Eldon Lautermilch

paherald.sk.ca · Feb 15, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Daily Herald File Photo Eldon Lautermilch and his family posed with the monument at Eldon Lautermilch Park in August 2023; (L to R) Rae Anne Moen, Loretta Lautermilch, Eldon Lautemilch, Joanne Lautermilch and Molly Longtime Prince Albert MLA Eldon Lautermilch has passed away at 76 shortly after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Lautermilch who represented the constituencies of Duck Lake and Prince Albert Northcote during his lengthy political career, passed away earlier this month according to his obituary. Don Cody, a former NDP MLA, Mayor of Prince Albert, City Councillor and friend of Lautermilch, remembered the work Lautermilch did to bring projects to Prince Albert. “He was a tremendous advocate for the city of Prince Albert,” Cody said. “I can recall when we were building the EA Rawlinson Centre, we as a committee went to him and of course his colleague, Myron Kowalsky, and said, look, we needed some money from the province and he went out and got it. “He also then convinced Ralph Goodale, who was another friend of the people of Saskatchewan and he went and got equally the same amount from the Feds, so you could tell that he was a really diligent about his work. He loved the people and he was a longtime businessman in the community. He was a great guy and a great friend and I miss him dearly.” Cody said that he and Lautermilch became fast friends during the 1986 Saskatchewan Election, which the NDP lost to the Progressive Conservatives. Cody was running in Kinistino and Lautermilch was running in Prince Albert-Duck Lake. “Well, he meant a lot to me personally because the two of us were political partners, you might say,” Cody said. “In the 1986 election when he ran in Duck Lake, I can recall helping him canvas. I said, well, I’ve got a pretty good seat that I’m running in, so I helped him canvas. I lost my seat.” Cody lost the Kinistino riding to Josef Saxinger of the PC’s and Lautermilch defeated Sid Dutchak in Duck Lake. “I helped him and canvassed for him. what have you, and I lost my seat, he won his, which was kind of ironic, but nevertheless, we remained friends anyway,” Cody said. Former Prince Albert Northcote MLA Nicole Rancourt said the work Lautermilch did helped inspire her in politics. “I joined the Prince Albert Northcote Executive in the late ’90s and so I was able to witness for myself the impact that Eldon had on our community and our province,” Rancourt said. “That is actually what inspired me to get into politics, seeing how much he contributed to our city.” She pointed to the former Forestry Centre now home to the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus, the Rawlinson Centre and the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse as mark of his legacy with funding advocacy at the provincial level. “The twinning of the highway from Saskatoon to Prince Albert. Everybody gets to enjoy that now and that was a vision from Eldon when the NDP were in government back then,” Rancourt said. “I know for myself, I’ll miss Eldon dearly, but the impact that he’s had on our province and the community will be witness for years to come,” she added. In recognition of his achievements, the City of Prince Albert unveiled Eldon Lautermilch Park in August 2023. The park on River Street East was one of several named for prominent Prince Albert residents, and the first to receive its new name. Cody made a speech to celebrate Lautermilch in his role as City Councillor that day and thought the park was a lasting legacy. “It was absolutely fantastic as far as I’m concerned,” Cody said. “Well deserved. He did a lot of work, as I say, for the community. As a result of that, they saw his work and his effort, so we decided to name a park in his honour.” Rancourt was also in attendance at the Park unveiling and said that the park showed his impact on Prince Albert. “That indicates too that Eldon not only was a politician, but he lived in the community,” she said. “He raised his family there. The kids participated in activities in the community. Eldon was engaged and knew what the people of Prince Albert wanted and needed because he networked around Prince Albert.” Lautermilch served several terms as an MLA for Prince Albert and was an advocate for Prince Albert while serving in cabinet under NDP Premiers Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert. The park is located just blocks from where he and his wife Loretta raised their family. Lautermilch was elected in Prince Albert Duck Lake in 1986 and after redrawing of boundaries represented Prince Albert Northcote and was elected in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003. In his final election, he won every pole in Northcote. Lautermilch was a cabinet minister in several portfolios under Romanow and Calvert. He retired from politics in 2007. He was involved in helping boost several projects, such as the construction of the EA Rawlinson Centre, Northern Lights Casino and the accelerated twinning of Highway 11 to Saskatoon, among others. “He was always gracious in what he did, and for that, I have to say, we remain grateful,” Cody said. “I certainly miss him dearly, that’s for sure.” Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck also passed on her condolences. “I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to family and friends of former MLA Eldon Lautermilch,” Beck said in a statement emailed to the Herald. “Eldon was someone who committed himself to making a lasting, positive impact on his community of Prince Albert and on his province as a provincial cabinet minister,” she added. Beck also observed his importance to all of the projects noted by Cody and Rancourt. “He was instrumental in twinning Highway 11 from Saskatoon to Prince Albert. He helped deliver provincial funding for the building of the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts and the Alfred Jenkins Soccer Centre. He was key to the creation of the Prince Albert Forestry Centre, which is now the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus,” Beck said. She also noted his legacy at the political level. “Eldon was a true leader in progressive politics, champion for his community, and will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him,” she added. According to his obituary, the family is planning a private service for family and friends at a later date. Donations in his memory may be made to Special Olympics Saskatchewan or ALS Saskatchewan. Family and friends are invited to leave tributes at www.reginafuneralhome.ca. The obituary did not give the date of his death. michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca -Advertisement-