Residents petition government to take action against ground squirrels

North Winnipeg residents are petitioning for government to take “immediate” action against ground squirrels following a summer where, they say, the critters have harmed the area.

Cindy Lamoureux, Liberal MLA for Tyndall Park, introduced the petition to constituents Sunday during a town hall she co-led. The document calls on the city and province to work collaboratively on finding an “immediate, effective and safe ground squirrel control solution.”

Concerns listed in the petition include: damage to spaces like athletic fields, safety concerns due to critters digging near fire hydrants, residents being forced to call exterminators, an increase in roadkill, unsanitary community conditions and increasing difficulty in pesticide management.

“There’s eight parks throughout Winnipeg — but there’s three here specifically in Tyndall Park — they aren’t safe for children to even play in right now. They’re tripping through the holes,” Lamoureux said.

“The ground squirrels have created a lot of disturbances,” she continued. “A lot of people are upset with them and just the damage that they have been causing.”

The province axed a City of Winnipeg plan to use lethal pesticide on ground squirrels last May. The city had tried to secure a permit for a sulfur gas product known as the “Giant Destroyer.”

Sunday town hall attendees shared their concerns about the ground squirrels. Some said they’ve found carcasses near trash bins, close to children’s play areas. One shared her worry about her home’s foundation; the critters were digging nearby.

Eleven people signed the nascent petition. Lamoureux said she plans to share the petition in the Manitoba legislature.

The city and province are working on a 2026 management plan for ground squirrels, one city staffer said Sunday. All three levels of government were represented at the town hall, held at 737 Keewatin St.

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City employees, including a representative for Coun. Vivian Santos, answered residents’ questions. Kevin Lamoureux, MP for Winnipeg North and Cindy Lamoureux’s father, co-led the meeting.

Last May, Manitoba Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes told the Free Press the province’s decision to deny a “Giant Destroyer” permit followed a “careful and thorough review.”

Health, environment and wildlife experts were consulted, he wrote in a statement. His department also received 6,300 public submissions expressing concern, he said.

He’d encouraged the city to use provincial funding to fill ground squirrel holes.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.