Farmers fed up with canola field selfie fad
Farmers in southern Ontario say they are fed up with a selfie fad that has caused thousands of dollars in damages.
"It's very frustrating," said canola farmer Jonathan Blydorf.
Dufferin OPP received a picture of several people parked along Highway 10 in Shelburne entering the bright yellow canola field to take selfies over the long weekend.
People are seen taking photos in a canola field in Dufferin County over the long weekend. (Ontario Provincial Police)
Police say it's an issue that could lead to charges, including trespassing and mischief.
"When we researched into what may have been going on there, we realized there was potentially $2,000 worth of damage to a farmer's crop," said OPP Const. Jennifer Roach following two recent incidents.
The plant is in full bloom this time of year, making it attractive to people looking for that perfect photo.
But police say not to stop on the side of the road to walk into the fields, no matter how enticing it may appear.
"At the end of the day, it's a crop. It's used for food, and it's income for a farmer," Roach added.
Blydorf is angry with what he calls "a lack of respect."
"It's no different than me going into your backyard. If I decide, hey, you got a sweet-looking pool, I'm going to come have a good evening here, it feels different in a sense, but it's exactly the same thing. It's someone else's property," he noted.
"The problem is we're left with the bill of the consequences of all that damage, and it's not uncommon at all," said Bill McCutcheon, the president of the Dufferin Federation of Agriculture. "I hope there's an awareness that they just can't go wherever they want."
Farmers say canola plants are fragile, and the crop can't be used if the blooms are knocked off.
"It's not public land. These lands are owned by private people, and in this case, farmers that are trying to make a living, and they should stay out," McCutcheon stated.
Dufferin OPP officers have stepped up patrols of the area and encourage anyone with information about trespassers to contact the police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.