In an area where thousands of birds and insects used to thrive, it is now a challenge to find even one.
That’s according to Michael Parsons, a resident of the RM of Redberry, located near Hafford. Parsons says a nearby quarter of land, which has been a designated wildlife zone for as long as he can remember, now has what he considers suspicious activity going on.
Parsons says that last spring, he noticed a heavy presence of construction machinery on the land. Shortly after, the wildlife quarter was plowed up and sprayed with what he believes is a chemical that killed some of the vegetation in his nearby yard. When Parsons issued a complaint with Environment Canada, he says he was met with an apology, then told the land was being put back to alfalfa, and that it would never be sprayed again.
Parson’s let the issue go at that time; however, he says the final straw came on July 25 of this year. Parsons says he witnessed an old grain truck dumping what looked like chemical barrels all over the land. Fifteen minutes later, a regular sprayer came in to finish the job. Since then, Parsons says he’s been hard pressed to find a single bird, insect or healthy plant.
“Within one week, I started seeing things dying. Within ten days, the last of the bees on this property are dead. All I can find on four quarters of land, searching hard, are four wild bees. Four. That’s not enough to keep one cucumber plant alive,” he explains.
In talks with a chemical specialist in Calgary, he says he’s learned that there is likely only one substance that can cause such death.
“I phone there every single day. We were talking, and these are experts, they have over fifty-some years of experience with chemical, that these lands around me have become dumping grounds for illegal chemical.”
In an emailed statement to CJWW, the Ministry of Environment stated that, “The rejuvenation work undertaken on FWDF lands… was necessary to restore habitat conditions and improve the long-term ecological health of the site…Activities on portions of the existing hay land included targeted vegetation management, limited cultivation, and planned reseeding with permanent forage species. These measures are intended to control noxious weeds, rehabilitate degraded areas, and establish stable forage cover that benefits wildlife and enhances habitat quality over time.”
CJWW News reached out to the RM of Redberry for comment, but nothing has been received.
