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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.