Pt 1: Rats - It's been fifty years since Alberta had to cope with a rat infestation. Thanks to a few happy geographical accidents and a very dedicated rat patrol, Alberta boasts of being "rat-free" since the 1950s. But this morning, the whiff of rats in the distance is wafting through the province and the vermin are at the gates.

Pt 2: The Super Committed - Two Documentaries : A Day in The Life of Tyler Johnson and A Quixotic Candidate

---

Today's summer guest host was Susan Ormiston.

It's Tuesday September 1st.

Prime Minister Steven Harper told a Quebec magazine that he is more concerned about the verdict of God than the judgment of history books

Currently... Which is why the Prime Minister is offering God a plum patronage appointment to the Senate.

This is the Current.

Rats - Swift Current

It's been fifty years since Alberta had to cope with a rat infestation. Thanks to a few happy geographical accidents and a very dedicated rat patrol, Alberta boasts of being "rat-free" since the 1950s. But this morning, the whiff of rats in the distance is wafting through the province and the vermin are at the gates.

Across the border, Swift Current, Saskatchewan is plagued by an infestation of rats and they're reproducing at a rate that would make rabbits blush. They've been spotted walking downtown streets in broad daylight. And there have been reports of people being bitten by rats while lying in bed. The residents of Swift Current are on edge. And some are criticizing the city council for not doing enough.

Ike Reimer isn't happy about his city's rat problem. He owns a motel in Swift Current, and that's where he was for the show.

Rats: Alberta

Swift Current is about 160 kilometres east of the Alberta border. And Alberta has gone to great lengths to keep itself largely rat-free since the 1950s. So when a couple of rats were spotted in Calgary last week, it had people worried.

Bill Bruce is Calgary's point person on rats. He's the city's Director of Animal and Bylaw Services and he was in Calgary.

Rats: Author

Just the thought of rats is enough to make a lot of people's skin crawl. But according to Jerry Langton, rats and humans have a lot more in common than we'd like to think. He's a freelance writer and the author of, Rat: How the World's Most Notorious Rodent Clawed Its Way to the Top. Jerry Langton was in Toronto.

The Super Committed - Two Documentaries


A Day in The Life of Tyler Johnson

It's hard to believe it's only been a year since our last federal election, and even harder to imagine that we might just be headed into another one this fall. So in case you're having trouble getting in the political mood as Parliament gets set to return, we'd like to re-introduce you to two people we met about this time last year two people we call The Super-Committed.

The first is Tyler Johnson. He's 21. He lives in Toronto, and he's an unlikely aspiring politician. As a young child, Tyler struggled with aggression issues. He was a bully at school and undisciplined at home. He spent some time living on the streets. And he was in and out of group homes. But these days, Tyler Johnson is a busy political activist engaged in a number of issues. The Current's Dominic Girard brings us this documentary. It's called, A Day in The Life of Tyler Johnson, and it first aired on The Current last fall.

A Quixotic Candidate

Dominic brought us another story in our Super-Committed series, the story of a real-life Don Quixote. Don Quixote is the errant -- and erring -- knight featured in Cervantes' classic 17th century novel. The foes that Don Quixote faced on his quest were mostly imagined. But his obsessive commitment inspired the characters he met along the way and the readers and scholars who continue to study him today.

In last fall's federal election, David Page was an independent candidate in the riding of Ottawa West-Nepean. His cause is climate change, and his super-commitment to bring his message to voters is where his quest intersects with Don Quixote's.

Post-Election Update

In case you were wondering, John Baird held on to his seat in the riding of Ottawa West-Nepean last October. David Page came in fifth with 415 votes.