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
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.