Award-winning entrepreneur looks back on USask education

Our Golden Grads are alumni who graduated from the University of Saskatchewan 50 years ago. This year, in 2024, we are celebrating the class of 1974. 

When University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Lester Lafond (Agric’74, BA’82) began his post-secondary studies in 1972, he knew he would focus on agriculture. Lafond, a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, grew up in a family with a long history of farming north of Blaine Lake, Sask., so agriculture was a natural fit for him.

“Historically, my great-great-grandfather was cattle ranching in the late 1800s, the early 1900s, and eventually my father in 1947. He grew one of the largest farms in Saskatchewan on the reservation,” Lafond said. “He expanded off reserve and bought a large amount of land, which was a novel thing in Saskatchewan.”

After completing high school in Marcelin, Sask., Lafond enrolled in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources with the goal of earning a diploma—which he accomplished, two years later, in 1974. Lafond looks back with fondness on his early days as a USask student, especially “the camaraderie” that he experienced on campus.

“I played a lot on the intramural team—hockey—for two years. There were only about 10 or 12 of us that played. We had quite a crew cheering us on all the time,” he said with a laugh. “I enjoyed that; that was fun. You get closer to guys you play with as a team, so that was enjoyable.”

Lafond also enjoyed the learning experiences that were offered at the college—particularly the economics-related courses. Yet he admits there were some lessons that he questioned at the time, such as when a professor taught the class about Robert’s Rules of Order—a framework that is often used to conduct fair and orderly meetings.

“I said, ‘I want to drop this, because it’s pointless. I’m on the farm. I will be at no meetings; I’m not running for any political offices,’ ” Lafond recalled. “He said, ‘You never know; you should take it. Just finish it up. It’s not that difficult. We don’t have too much time left on this work.’ So, I said, ‘OK fine; I’ll finish.’ ”

Now, after more than 40 years as a successful businessperson who has worked with various levels of government, Lafond admits that his professor was right; Robert’s Rules of Order have come in handy.

“You can appreciate how many meetings I’ve been at; I don’t even want to count. And a lot of them I’ve chaired,” said Lafond, who has thought of that professor over the years.

“I never got the opportunity to tell him it was a good idea on his part.”

In addition to his classes, today Lafond continues to value the connections that he made with other students at USask. One friendship that first began in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources in 1972 has remained particularly strong.

 “We have lunch every five weeks,” he said.

Forging a new path

When Lafond graduated with his diploma 50 years ago, in 1974, he didn’t know at the time that he would soon return to USask. In 1979, an accident that involved a round baler resulted in the amputation of Lafond’s right arm. As Lafond recovered from the farm accident, he knew that he wanted to explore a new career path. That led him back to USask, and to USask’s College of Arts and Science, where he began a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980. While a student there, Lafond took the opportunity to further explore his passion for economics, which had started when he was an agriculture student, and to take sociology classes.

“I just loved it,” he said of economics. “I come from a mixed-farm background. I just wanted economics, and I wanted animal science. So that’s why, when I went back for a Bachelor of Arts, I was interested in economics; I had taken so much of it.”

When Lafond graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career in business. He had grown up in an entrepreneurial family, so it made sense for him to continue that path. Today, Lafond is a highly respected and award-winning Saskatoon businessperson who has owned and operated multiple companies since 1984—and he is still working.

“It was not a second thought to start my own business, do my own consulting,” he said.

A life in business

Over the years, Lafond has worked in real-estate rentals and has owned an insurance brokerage, Lafond Insurance and Financial Services Ltd., among other companies. He is currently the president of Lafond Financial Corp. and has worked with First Nations clients in business and economic planning. Throughout his career, he has developed a reputation for building positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and businesspeople, and for advocating for the economic wellbeing of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and its members. In fact, the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation was the first to create a commercial urban reserve in Saskatchewan through the Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) process in 1988—in Saskatoon’s Sutherland area—on land that Lafond found in 1984.

Because of his background in business development, Lafond was twice appointed to the federal First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC). The FNTC’s mandate is to support and regulate First Nations property tax regimes, ensuring they are harmonized with property tax regimes across Canada and are fair to on-reserve taxpayers. Lafond said his belief has always been that “you can’t have government unless you have taxing power.”

“I got involved in that because I’d looked at funding of reserve developments in terms of industrial park development back in 1984. In 1978, I went to a course, which I paid for, to meet with the United Indian Planners Association of the U.S. They taught me all these techniques and knowledge about doing comprehensive land development on tribal lands, specifically in industrial,” Lafond said. “It proved to be a blessing, because it was in ’84 when I made the urban reserve selection, so it was fortunate that I had taken the time, six years previous, to get that training, to get that knowledge.”

When Lafond looks back on his long career, one of the highlights was chairing the First Nations Gazette during his time with the FNTC. The First Nations Gazette aims to provide a comprehensive source for First Nations legislation in Canada, including laws, bylaws, and other enactments.

“You can go on and find all the laws and bylaws of every First Nation in Canada,” he said.

Over the years, Lafond has served on many other boards and organizations in Saskatoon and beyond. This includes serving on the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, serving as chairperson/coordinator of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) Agriculture Multi-Task Force Committee, and serving as coordinator of TLE for the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. In the TLE role, Lafond was involved in the infrastructure financing and development for Aspen Developments, a company owned by the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. He has also served on the board of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) and as a board and executive member of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, including a term as president from 2002-2003.

‘Formidable influence’ leads to awards

In 2006, for his contributions to the province as a business entrepreneur, Lafond was invested into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. The award is Saskatchewan’s highest honour and recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the wellbeing of the province and its residents. While Lafond was “initially surprised” to be recognized with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, he soon realized he was following in the footsteps of other members of his community.

“Three of our members from Muskeg had already won it, and since we’ve had two more. I think we’re sitting at six in our community,” he said.

In 2007, USask recognized Lafond as one of the 100 Alumni of Influence during the university’s 100th anniversary celebrations, noting he “has exerted a formidable influence” over the development of the First Nations business community in Saskatchewan.

When asked about his advice for current business students and new entrepreneurs, Lafond noted that business is “not a joyride.” There’s much hard work and long hours involved in building a business—but the challenges that arise can be overcome.

“Have a plan—a real strong plan—and follow it,” he said.

Lafond admits that he loves working. While he has previously retired, “that only lasted about 17 months and I’ve been working ever since,” he said. Lafond has been told that his long and successful career would make good fodder for a book, as he has shown perseverance and achieved success even as difficulties arose. He looks back on his career with fondness and looks forward with excitement about what’s next.

“There were some fun times, I will have to admit—challenging times, but also fun times,” he said. “If you don’t have challenges, you don’t understand the world. If you have big challenges and you overcome them, that’s fun.”

Did you or someone you know graduate in 1974? Visit our Golden Grads website to learn more and register to receive your commemorative parchment and complimentary pin.