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Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Giant Destroyer on hold as city waits for provincial approval to attack squirrel problem
The City of Winnipeg has yet to secure provincial approval for its plan to treat ground squirrels with a lethal pesticide, creating a delay in the program amid concerns over animal rights. The city initially planned to start using a sulfur gas product known as 'Giant Destroyer' to euthanize the animals at eight parks and community centre fields on Tuesday. Without treatment, city officials have warned ground squirrels can create deep dips and holes in athletic fields and green spaces where people and pets can trip and hurt themselves. COLIN CORNEAU / BRANDON SUN FILES A March public service report notes the city used poison to control ground squirrels in the past before switching to sulfur gas and then carbon monoxide. There is no clear date for the program to begin, a city spokesman confirmed. 'The program is paused while we await provincial approval of our pesticide use permit. That will determine when the program can proceed,' said Kalen Qually, in an email. 'The ground squirrel populations in some athletic fields are creating significant damage and safety concerns for the public. This is the interim management strategy while alternative methods are researched,' added Qually. Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy for the group Animal Justice, accused the city of failing to give sufficient details in a public notice about the ground squirrel program. That notice neglected to say exactly where the gas would be used, key information for residents who live next to the sites and might want to object to the program, Mitchell said. 'Because they haven't even listed where it's going to be used, if I was a neighbouring property owner, I might not even know that it's being used next to my property, let alone that I have the right to object,' she said. A city report posted online in March listed the affected parks as Charleswood Place, Beryl Watts Park/Vince Leah Community Centre, Fairgrove Bay Park, Woodsworth Park, Shaughnessy Park, Weston Memorial Community Centre, Theodore Niitzhotay Fontaine Park and St. James Memorial Sports Park. While those sites have also been listed in some news stories, people who read only the public notice may not have been aware of the locations, said Mitchell. She also objects to the program itself, arguing a trap-and-release strategy that started in March, before new offspring were born, would have been more effective and humane. 'I certainly don't advocate for any lethal methods but if you are going to use a lethal method, then at the very least we should be looking at methods that cause immediate death and that is not the case with Giant Destroyer. My understanding is animals can take up to an hour or even more to die. It's really horrific,' she said. Danae Tonge, an organizer with Manitoba Animal Save, also objects to the use of sulfur gas on ground squirrels, which she fears would put predators, pets and people at risk of exposure to the gas, too. 'It really is the cruellest way we could possibly deal with this situation,' said Tonge. She said a trap-and-release program or other alternative, such as using drugs to prevent the animals from producing offspring, are better options. The chairwoman of council's community services committee said some residents objected to the program, which led the province to review the permit application. 'My understanding is several residents have appealed and the province required the City of Winnipeg to explain why we're (using) the Giant Destroyer,' said Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas). 'There was obviously a delay because the province hasn't issued a permit yet. Mayor Scott Gillingham said city staff carefully considered all options for ground squirrel control and remain open-minded to new methods, though they will use sulfur gas this season. 'Our fields need to be maintained in a condition where people can use them and use them safely … When there are holes in the fields, they're, frankly, dangerous. You've got kids or adults that are running, and you can trip in those holes and get injured. And, so, we need to make sure that we're doing all we can to maintain the surfaces of our fields and parks for our users,' said Gillingham. The mayor said he hopes the permit issue is settled soon, so work to maintain sports fields isn't delayed. In a brief emailed statement, a provincial spokeswoman confirmed the permit is still being assessed. 'The Province of Manitoba required further information from the City of Winnipeg in order to process the application. That documentation has now been received. The application is still under review,' the statement said. Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. A March public service report notes the city used poison to control ground squirrels in the past before switching to sulfur gas and then carbon monoxide. All treatment was paused in 2024, due to concerns that carbon monoxide machines were not safe for employees. Ground squirrels have since caused extensive damage to fields, creating a safety hazard, the report states. The public service is exploring other control methods for the future, such as carbon dioxide, it notes. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ground squirrel cull in city parks put on hold
The City of Winnipeg campaign to kill ground squirrels, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday and continue until fall in eight parks and community centre fields, has been put on hold. 'The program is slightly delayed,' public works spokeswoman Julie Horbal Dooley said on Friday, adding she couldn't say why it was postponed. Horbal Dooley said the program had not been scuttled and would begin at some point. TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES The city has said it explored using other methods, including live traps, but found it would be impractical because it estimated the number of animals was in the thousands. Danae Tonge of the Manitoba Animal Save said she hopes city councillors can be convinced to stop the practice. 'It's spring and the squirrels are with their young,' Tonge said. 'One of our members has seen (Giant Destroyer) used before. 'The squirrels would crawl out of their burrows. They are dying and they are suffering. It's a horrible way to go and it could take up to an hour before they die.' The city used sulphur gas more than a decade ago, but discontinued the practice after public pressure. Last year, the squirrel management program was put on hold after concerns were raised that the carbon monoxide machines being used were unsafe for employees. The city will continue researching other methods, including carbon dioxide, but will use sulfur gas in the meantime. The parks to be targeted are: Charleswood Place, Theodore Niitzhotay Fontaine Park, Fairgrove Bay Park, Shaughnessy Park, Weston Memorial Community Centre, St. James Memorial Sports Park, Beryl Watts Park, and Vince Leah Community Centre. City crews will revisit each park monthly to repeat the program. Horbal Dooley said the city doesn't know which order the parks will be treated. 'We will post signs 24 hours in advance to advise the public of planned treatment,' she said. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'We may be required to close a park to facilitate a safe and effective treatment, but this will be site-dependent. That said, the gas will primarily remain below ground. Any that escapes will quickly dissipate and not cause a detectable odour in the vicinity.' Horbal Dooley said not all holes will be treated — because the tunnels are connected — and multiple staff will be on site to treat multiple holes at a time. The city has said it explored using other methods, including live traps, but found it would be impractical because it estimated the number of animals was in the thousands. Tonge said she doesn't understand why the city isn't using more humane options including live trapping and relocation or drugs to prevent them from reproducing. 'It just feels we are going to use the cheapest, quickest, cruelest option,' she said. 'We shouldn't be letting them be born only to kill them. This is cruel and inhumane.' Kevin RollasonReporter Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin. Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Reconsidering Manitoba's war on ‘pests'
Opinion As Danae Tonge made her way to Warren, Man. last month, to peacefully protest a wildlife hunting contest taking place the next day, it quickly became apparent that her plans would need to change. Tonge, along with other members of activist group Manitoba Animal Save, were greeted by a group of hostile hunters, blocking the road with a sign draped by animal skin and antlers, reading 'No tree huggers.' Tonge says she felt unsafe, so she told her group to go home. The plan had been to protest, and to bear witness to the crows and magpies due to be hunted down the following day as part of a contest held by Woodlands and District Wildlife Federation. 'Teams of two will compete to harvest the most birds,' the flier reads, 'with cash prizes awarded to the top scoring teams.' The birds are considered by some to be 'pests,' potentially harmful to young livestock (who of course will eventually be killed, too). In Manitoba, ravens are protected under the provincial Wildlife Act, but crows and magpies are not, and shooting them for fun appears to be a common springtime activity in some Manitoba communities. Minnedosa will be holding a similar contest this weekend, but this one will also include gophers. Killing a gopher will get you one point. Magpies are worth three. Manitoba Animal Save won't be protesting the Minnedosa event. Instead, they, along with other advocacy groups, Animal Justice and The Winnipeg Humane Society, are calling on the provincial government to amend the Wildlife Act to include crows and magpies, or even better — to ban these contests altogether. 'The Winnipeg Humane Society strongly opposes the killing of crows, magpies, gophers and all other species for sport,' says director of animal advocacy, Krista Boryskavich. The organization is also advocating for 'legislative amendments to require an independent, third-party scientific report prior to undertaking population management measures, which would ensure that population management is only carried out if … necessary,' and 'in the most humane manner possible.' Concerns about population control also extend to the issue of ground squirrels — another small animal deemed by some as 'pests.' Later this month the City of Winnipeg plans to gas ground squirrels to death in their burrows across eight city parks, due to their holes supposedly being a danger to people and pets. The lethal pesticide is called 'Giant Destroyer,' and Kaitlyn Mitchell, a Winnipeg lawyer with Animal Justice, says it can take up to an hour or more to actually kill the squirrel. She calls the method cruel and says there are better options. 'A more effective approach would be to hire experienced biologists or other experts' she writes in a statement, 'to live-trap animals if absolutely necessary in March, before young are born.' Waiting until May means baby squirrels will also be gassed. Ultimately, it's the labelling of certain wild animals as 'pests' that allows for this type of treatment to take place. But this branding is both misguided and dangerous. Such language shapes perception — and policy — toward eradication rather than co-existence. Across Manitoba and beyond, these animals are treated as nuisances simply for surviving among us. But who's encroaching upon whom? These wild animals are simply adapting to the spaces we've created in their habitats. They aren't invaders; they're survivors. And unfairly categorizing them as 'pests' allows for the casual use of terrifying killing methods like trapping, poisoning, hunting and culling. 'We need solutions rooted in ecology, not extermination,' says Lesley Fox, executive director of wildlife advocacy group, The Fur Bearers. The term 'pest' inaccurately implies worthlessness, but all species play important roles in our shared ecosystems. Ground squirrels, says Fox, are a species whose burrows help aerate our soil. They also help disperse seeds and support biodiversity. 'Labelling these and other animals as 'pests' oversimplifies complex ecosystems,' she says, adding that 'co-existence isn't just possible, it's necessary.' As for this weekend's hunting contest in Minnedosa, Tonge is encouraging Manitoba animal lovers to contact provincial Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie to add pressure to the campaign to amend the Manitoba Wildlife Act. And for those wanting to speak up for Winnipeg ground squirrels, Mitchell says to reach out to your city councillor. 'It's not too late,' she says, for the city to take a second look at this 'cruel plan.' Thinking of certain animals as mere pests ignores our responsibility in the natural imbalances we've created — and the respect owed to fellow beings who are simply trying to live. Other solutions exist, we just need to be a society that insists on them. Jessica Scott-Reid is a Winnipeg journalist and independent animal advocate. She is also the disinformation correspondent for Sentient, and a former member of the Winnipeg Humane Society board of directors.
