On March 13, 2026 Manitoba's Minister of Environment and Climate Change issued a permit allowing the City of Winnipeg to use RoCon Concentrate Rodenticide and Rozol RTU Field Rodent Bait to control ground squirrels on City athletic fields.  Rozol is an anticoagulant which interferes with blood clotting, leading to death due to internal hemorrhaging 4 days to 2 weeks after ingestion.

Like all poisons, Rozol is indiscriminate and unintended victims can include companion animals, coyotes, foxes and birds of prey who either eat the bait directly or consume the bodies of ground squirrels who have ingested the toxin.  Recently Australia became the latest country to ban the sale of anticoagulant rodenticides because of the devastating impacts on native wildlife.

Part of the Minister's justification for issuing the permit is to provide safe spaces for children citing, "We recognize the importance of physical activity for children, including its positive impacts on mental health."  But what kind of impact will watching and hearing animals suffering slow, painful deaths have on their mental well being?  What does this teach them about respecting sentient beings?  

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change is accepting appeals to this decision within 30 days of the date of the permit.  Please sign this petition asking that the decision be reversed and have the City implement alternative, humane solutions such as live trapping and exclusion methods.  It is 2026 and well past time to adopt peaceful co-existence and compassionate conservation strategies.