Whenever there is talk about limiting immigration, the hand-wringing begins.
But one immigration policy that all Albertans agree on is keeping rats out of Alberta.
Alberta is one of the few jurisdictions in the world that is rat-free and the only province in Canada with that advantage.
Technically, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut are also rat-free, but they are not provinces, so we don’t think that counts!
For over seven decades, Albertans have kept the whiskered immigrants at bay – pushing them back into BC and Saskatchewan, where they belong!
Our Rat Control Program is a shining example of pestilence prevention.
The original Ground Zero, a farm in Alsask, Saskatchewan, right on the Alberta border, marked the beginning of the rodent battle in 1950.
Alsask is where Alberta’s vigilant guardians against rapacious rodents first drew the line in the sand—or rather, the prairie soil. And we have been winning ever since – with a few spotty outbreaks of the ratty kind appearing here and there, but again, who’s counting?
But lo and behold, thanks to our strive to be ‘green,’ rats have made a sneaky comeback, hitching rides on recycling trucks right into the heart of Calgary and nestling into the cozy confines of two of the cities’ recycling plants.
These whiskered stowaways, with a penchant for pizza box leftovers and the warmth of concrete floors, have dared to challenge Alberta’s rat-free utopia.
Our recycling efforts are not’ green’ enough, as the rats are making a living off of food scraps from our unwashed food containers.
Yet, Alberta’s defenders of unwanted hairless-tailed immigrants have not faltered. With the same determination that saw them establish the Rat Control Zone along the eastern border in the 1950s, they have risen to the occasion.
The province’s rat patrol, armed with baits and traps, set out to solve our immigration problem.
They monitor the facilities inside and out and lay siege to the rat invaders with a buffet of baits more tempting than any discarded delicacy. The battle is on, and while the rats have won a few skirmishes, the war is far from over.
But if history is any indication, we shall rise triumphant (if we clean up our act).
Albertans are being called to arms—or rather, to their blue bins.
The call has gone out to rinse recyclables, for cleanliness is now next to ratlessness.
The fight against these unwelcome intruders continues, and every citizen can play a part.
From the Rat Control Program‘s seasoned veterans to the everyday Albertan, the message is clear: one rat is too many.
In Alberta, the rat race isn’t about getting ahead—it’s about keeping rats out.
This is one immigration policy that will stay in place, no matter which political party runs the province.
Even Danielle Smith agrees; she is always interested in keeping out any federal rats that try to sneak into the province.
