DUCK LAKE – A historic Saskatchewan town is facing blowback from its residents over a plan that could see the town renamed after a company.

Duck Lake, northeast of Saskatoon, approved selling the naming rights in a narrow vote at a town council meeting last week.

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Mayor Jason Anderson says companies can submit their bids to the town, which won’t accept anything less than $10 million.

He says the plan could result in the town being named after a brand, but residents will have the final say in a plebiscite should a company come forward.

Denis Poirier, Duck Lake’s former mayor, says many are angry with the idea, arguing it would erase the town’s identity,

Duck Lake was settled by French-speaking Métis people and is located near the site of the first battle of the Northwest Rebellion, an uprising led by Louis Riel in 1885 over land rights.