Stony Plain dog park site of standoff over herbicide use
Two dog owners took matters into their own hands Tuesday to prevent crews from spraying herbicide at an off-leash dog park in Stony Plain.
Ida Duncan, who was involved in a similar standoff earlier this summer in Edmonton's Terwillegar Park, said she was about to take her four dogs for a walk at the Umbach dog park when three trucks arrived to spray the fields with herbicide.
Duncan and a second dog owner refused to leave the Umbach park, preventing the crew from spraying.
"They're trying to get rid of thistle that's been around for a hundred years, and they can't get rid of it unless they keep spraying, and that spray is going into our groundwater, into our river system and into our drinking water," Duncan told CBC News during the standoff.
Peace officers, and then RCMP, showed up to remove her and close the park, Duncan said.
Officers laid Duncan on the ground and put her in handcuffs. Then they took her to their vehicle and gave her a ticket for trespassing.
"I can't believe they went to this extreme," she said. "They took me down like a criminal."
Duncan said she will fight the ticket in court.
She said she had no idea the park was being treated Tuesday.
The Town of Stony Plain had announced the park would be closed on its Twitter account, but no signs were posted at the park.
The town's website describes the park as a beautiful, 25-acre park that opened in 2010.
"The well-maintained park is in a non-residential area and features a pond, walking paths, park benches and a large, grassy dog-run area," it says.
The town has not returned calls from CBC News.
