$800-Million Dollar Gopher Issue

Municipal Affairs
Jul 7
2 min read

Welcome to Municipal Affairs.

A growing crisis in Alberta's countryside is pushing rural leaders — and producers — to the brink.

In June, Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture RJ Sigurdson, alongside Premier Danielle Smith, penned an open letter to federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald. The warning was blunt: Alberta’s farmers and ranchers are running out of time.

The threat? Richardson’s ground squirrels — or RGS — tearing through prairie farmland at a pace that's leaving behind ruined crops, fractured infrastructure, and rising economic losses. These small rodents are causing big damage — not just to cereal, oilseed, forage, and pasture lands — but to fibre optic cables, gas lines, and water systems. What was once a pest problem is now a multimillion-dollar crisis.

Yet, despite the urgency, producers are being forced to fight this invasion without their most effective tool — 2% liquid strychnine. Banned federally without consultation, and without a workable alternative, the decision has left rural Alberta exposed.

The numbers speak volumes: more than $800 million in annual risk to hay and native pasture — and a looming risk to Canada’s food security in 2026 if the situation goes unchecked.

Alberta’s leaders are calling for immediate action. They say Ottawa must reverse course — before the damage becomes irreversible.

To understand how this infestation is impacting those on the front lines, we spoke with Jason Schneider, the Reeve of Vulcan County and Director with the Rural Municipalities of Alberta.

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