'Will change the lake': Residents worry about proposed feedlot operation near Pigeon Lake, Alta.
Residents south of Edmonton are concerned about a proposed feedlot near Pigeon Lake.
Despite the long weekend, an information session Saturday night drew a large crowd that was eager to learn the risks of the proposal and what can be done about it.
Martin Klatt, a farmer on the west shore of Pigeon Lake, said the long weekend didn't deter anyone from coming to hear how the development could harm the lake's water quality and cause other issues.
"It was quiet, peaceful and clean," he told CTV News Edmonton. "It was just the way we wanted to live, and that's going to change big time.
"It already has somewhat, but now when they put in three times the amount of cattle that are there now, I think it's going to be almost unbearable," Klatt said.
According to the Pigeon Lake Watershed Association, there would be no way to manage the feedlot properly and negate any environmental impacts.
"The proposed confined feeding operation is an industrial scale agricultural operation that will produce nutrients, phosphorus primarily, that will change the lake creating more problems with harmful algal blooms and impacting all the users of Pigeon Lake," said Robert Gibbs, Pigeon Lake Watershed Association president.
Concerned residents living near Pigeon Lake, Alta., attended an information session on Saturday, May 22, 2022, to hear about a proposed feedlot (CTV News Edmonton/Sean McClune).
"With harmful algal blooms and degradation of water quality, peoples' health is impacted," he added. "We don't think there's any beneficial management practices that would really offset that amount of nutrients coming into the lake."
The feedlot applicant declined to comment to CTV News Edmonton.
The group leading the fight against the feedlot believes the proposal will get the approvals it needs to move forward with the project. Either way, they're preparing a case to have it stopped.
"In the court of common sense, this should be denied," said Jeannette Hall, an organizer with Families Impacted by the Pigeon Lake Feedlot.
"But, because I'm aware of the policy framework and the problems in the legislation, it's most likely, if we were to bet, I'd say it's going to go through, so that means we're likely to do an appeal," Hall added.
No timeline is set for a decision.
The region relies on the lake during the summer season for tourism and recreation, Gibbs said. In his view, the only option is to find another location for the feedlot — far away from the water.
"(If approved), they can't let their children go out, or their pets go out into the water, and it impacts the long-term plans that people have for their cottages and their daily use of the shore," Gibbs said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Democrat who ran on abortion rights flips seat in deeply conservative Alabama
Marilyn Lands, who campaigned on abortion rights in deeply conservative Alabama, won a special election to the Alabama Legislature, in a victory that Democrats say illustrates voter backlash to extreme reproductive restrictions imposed by Republicans.