Laliberte family left their farm due to air quality concerns
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
A farm family from the town of Falher, Alberta, is asking the provincial government for help after the family decided to abandon its farm.
Vivianne Laliberte and her husband, Marcel, said breathing in fumes from heated petroleum tanks located near their farm caused breathing and other health issues.
“We were exhausted all the time, we were even having some cognitive impairment,” Vivianne told CBC. She added that since moving away from the area, their health has improved significantly.
Vivianne Laliberte
Photo: CBC
The couple told CBC they visit their old home occasionally, but due to the stench from the tanks, must keep the visits short.
According to CBC, the family reached out to the provincial government in 2015, resulting in a meeting with Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd in November.
In July of this year, Vivianne wrote the minister a letter inviting her to see the farm’s damage first-hand.
“It’s ten miles away from her sub-office in Falher, but there’s been no follow-up,” Vivianne told CBC.
CBC reports that Brad Hartle, the Energy Minister’s spokesperson, said in an emailed statement that discussions are being held to come up with a suitable solution.
“We want to do what we can to help her,” Hartle wrote, according to CBC. “So we are currently working with the Ministry of Environment and Parks, and the Minister of Health, as well as the Alberta Energy Regulator to determine how we can best go about addressing Ms. Laliberte’s concerns.”