Alberta man donates land for conservation to honour late brother
An Alberta family north of Edmonton is paying tribute to their brother by preserving the land he loved.
Norm Parrent has donated 279 acres of his range to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), ensuring the land and the diverse ecosystem it hosts remain unchanged – just the way his late brother would have wanted.
"He didn't like change," Norm said.
The Parrents were homesteaders and the family have owned land on the south shores of Wakomao lake, near Clyde, Alta., since 1906. Four generations later, Paul and Norm Parrent continued to work the land.
When Paul died in 2020, his younger brother Norm wanted to do something special to honour his life as a steward of the land.
"He was a very kind and gentle fellow that enjoyed nature. And we just thought it would be fitting to have this piece of property left natural in his memory," Norm said.
The land is made up of wetlands, accented by patches of forest. It's a rich ecosystem that supports a variety of wildlife, the NCC said, and the project is part of conservation efforts in the Beaver Hills and surrounding areas, with four other conservation projects within 33 kilometres of the Parrent property.
The Parrents have been keeping cattle on the land for 50 years, and that won't change either. The land will be protected from development, but Norm will still be able to graze his herds in the pastures that Paul loved and cared for.
"You never check livestock in this pasture without thinking about him. It's what he did," Norm said.
"It's a way to hang on to his memory a little bit."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.