Rural municipalities want more money for rat control

Current budget wrapped into new pest program that also covers beavers, plants

Richard Tessier had a rat problem.

It was about 10 years ago, and the rodents — which have a reputation for destroying everything they can sink their teeth into — had infiltrated his farm in the Rural Municipality of Coalfields, southeast of Bienfait.

Tessier caught the infestation early. He shot a couple and killed at least five more with poison-laced bait provided through a rat control program funded by the provincial and federal governments.

“There’s an old saying that if you see a rat, you have a problem. Because rats, they only work at night and they usually are fairly wellhidden,” said Tessier, who was elected reeve of the RM in southwest Saskatchewan two years ago.

Now, Coalfields’ reeve is part of a group of rural politicians who are worried about the potential effects of lower funding for rat control in the province.

They plan to ask the association representing them to lobby for more money.

Coalfields is one of 11 RMS to sign a resolution asking the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities to help restore the program, which concluded in March. The resolution will be debated at SARM’S convention next week.

“If this got out of control, the cost would just skyrocket trying to keep these things under control,” Tessier said.

Rat control in Saskatchewan was funded to the tune of $1.4 million for each of the last four years. That dropped to $900,000 this year with the introduction of the new Pest Biosecurity Program, which costs $2.5 million annually and covers rats, beavers and plants.

SARM president Ray Orb said the association was “not happy” about the changes, because it means the pool of money is now divided between multiple programs.

“The overall budget for (rat control) was cut back,” he said.

In an emailed statement, Ministry of Agriculture spokeswoman Sarah Hein said rat control “remains a priority for the province,” and pointed out that previous years’ funding included a 10 per cent program administration fee paid to SARM.

The $900,000 provided this year does not include that fee, Hein said.

Tessier said it’s cheaper to be proactive. If the funding is not restored, the RM will “end up picking up the tab and obviously we’ll pass that on to the ratepayers, which would make taxes higher,” he added.

The situation is similar in westcentral Saskatchewan, where RM of Kindersley residents have kept the rat problem at bay through the government-funded program and a local pest control officer, according to administrator Glenda Giles.

“It’s important for a lot of municipalities,” Giles said of the program.

Delegates from the province’s 292 RMS are expected to debate and vote on 31 separate resolutions when the association’s midterm convention convenes in Saskatoon on Tuesday.