Former head of Alberta's Rat Control Program Phil Merrill returned to the Medicine Hat landfill one decade after a rat infestation was declared at the site, to discuss control measures.--PHOTO COURTESY RAT BALL FILMS and ANNA COOLEY
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat is one of several Alberta cities featured in the upcoming CBC documentary “Living Without Menace.”
The documentary, directed by Calgary filmmaker Ted Stenson, explores Alberta’s more than 70-year history of being rat free – the first, and one of the few, regions of the world to achieve such.
Through the documentary, Stenson speaks with members of the province’s rat patrol team and other subject experts to learn how Alberta’s zero-rat status was achieved and maintained, and to examine what impact the policy may have on potential future rat-control measures.
“The fact that Alberta is the only inhabited rat-free part of the world is an amazing, sort of unbelievable thing,” Stenson told the News. “So, I wanted to dig into it a little bit more and try to put all the elements of the rat control program and its history together in one film.”
While filming, Stenson visited several regions of the province, but spent a large portion of time in Medicine Hat and surrounding areas.
“Medicine Hat is actually one of the places we focused on because the last major infestation in the province was at the Medicine Hat landfill,” said Stenson.
During his visit to Medicine Hat, Stenson met with Phil Merrill, the former head of Alberta’s Rat Control Program, who was in charge of the program when the local infestation was discovered in 2012. Stenson says listening to Merrill’s experience in Medicine Hat helped him widen the scope of the film.
“The main thing that interested me initially was, ‘Is this really true?’ ‘How is it possible that Alberta can be the only rat-free place in the world?'” said Stenson. “But making the film I think I got more interested in the idea of, ‘Why do we choose to try to control rats?’ There’s lots of other invasive species, but rats are sort of the one that gets the most attention.
“Rats do cause a lot of problems, but a lot of it also is related to human behaviour. So, ironically, probably the best thing people can do to control rats is, control some of the human behaviours that are destructive or wasteful, because that’s what allows rats to thrive.”
Stenson says another factor of Medicine Hat being shown in the film, is its proximity to the Saskatchewan border, which the province’s rat patrol team considers a higher-risk area for rats to exist.
Stenson hopes Hatters, and all Albertans, will tune in for the premiere of “Living Without Menace,” which airs Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. MST on CBC. The film will also be available online on CBC Gem, beginning Sept. 23.
“This (film) is an opportunity for me to explore a uniquely Albertan success story,” said Stenson. “I think it’s just a different way to look at Alberta’s history and identity … outside of the usual narrative of oil and gas, or cowboy culture.”
