A rural resident northeast of Edmonton is getting the runaround in his attempt to get a car removed from an area lake that’s been submerged for nearly one year.
Roland Letendre came upon the submerged Mazda car while fishing on Floatingstone Lake in St. Paul County in the spring.
“I saw this yellow thing in the water and I was going, ‘What is that?’”
The car is submerged in a shallower area of the lake near the shore, and sits just below the water’s surface. RCMP told Global News the car went through the ice on Nov. 26, 2023, while its occupants were ice fishing.
Letendre is worried about the environmental impact the car is having on the lake, its habitat and the people who use the body of water.
“We’ve got engine oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, differential fluid, windshield washer — all of these chemicals are going into the water,” Letendre said.
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“This year, while fishing I found that the walleye I was catching over there had black spots.”
Letendre has contacted officials from the county, province, fish and wildlife, as well as the RCMP. He’s been getting the runaround.
“I called Fish and Wildlife, they told me to call the RCMP. When I called the RCMP, they said to call the County of St. Paul. I called the County of St. Paul, they said call the RCMP.
“It’s a ping-pong game. It’s back and forth and nothing’s happening,” Letendre said. “Nobody to date is taking interest in removing the car.
“All I want is the car out of the water… This is our environment, and we have to look after it.”
A spokesperson with the County of St. Paul No. 19 said in a statement that the car was reported to them at the end of June, at which time county officials “reported (it) to the appropriate authorities.”
“While Floatingstone is located in the County of St. Paul and the county has municipal reserve land near the lakeshore, our involvement is limited since we are not the government body for lakes,” the county said, adding lakes fall under provincial jurisdiction.
In a statement Monday morning, a spokesperson with Alberta Forestry and Parks said the government is working on a plan to remove the car from the lake.
“Details on how and when the removal will take place are still being determined,” the statement read.
Letendre believes the province needs to step up to the plate and put in place a standard operating procedure for incidents like this.
“If you were to crash your car off a bridge in the city of Edmonton, it would be on a hook and out of the water within a few hours,” Letendre said. “But because it’s a rural area, nobody cares.
“The government of Alberta should have an SOP for stuff like this.
“It shouldn’t have to go to this extent to get a car out of the water.”
In a circumstance like this where a vehicle has fallen through the ice, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said the insurer would cover the retrieval costs if the vehicle’s owner has optional comprehensive coverage or liability coverage.
“The vehicle owner should have contacted their insurer right away to get this taken care of, as the vehicle could cause environmental damage,” the IBC said in a statement.
The lake is located about 180 km northeast of Edmonton.
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