get outta windsor! canada geese once again ruffling city hall feathers
with one city councillor describing the birds as a “dan...
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with one city councillor describing the birds as a “dangerous hazard,” and with a springtime cull off the table, windsor will explore non-lethal options to control its ever-growing canada goose population. at the request of ward 6 coun. jo-anne gignac, a council committee this week asked staff to report back with a preferred goose management strategy for the spring of 2025.
before qualifying for a permit to cull the protected birds — something gignac asked staff to look into several months ago — the city must first try other mitigation measures, an administrative report said.
“every spring we’re seeing waves of additional geese,” gignac said during wednesday’s community services standing committee meeting.
“i would request that we move forward with initiating something this year, coming up to next spring, so that we can prove to the upper levels of government that we’ve been trying.”
canada geese are protected under the federal migratory bird convention act (1994). the legislation prohibits people from harming migratory birds, except under specific conditions.
“after discussion with a variety of goose management experts, it became very apparent that property goose management requires a multi-faceted approach,” the report said.
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the city has a few options to deal with geese, which breed and spend winters in windsor because of its mild climate, the report said. it can conduct “habitat management,” creating more naturalized areas with longer grass to deter geese from gathering. but letting grass grow longer would mean fewer grassy areas for the public to enjoy during warmer months.
the city could remove or sterilize eggs with oil; “haze” geese with lights, lasers, trained dogs, and pyrotechnics; or round up and relocate geese — but those options all require permits from canadian wildlife services.
canada geese enjoy a muddy patch along a riverfront trail near the ambassador bridge in windsor on wednesday, sept. 4, 2024.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
at gignac’s request, the committee asked city staff to report back on “the best initial step” toward geese population management.
in january, gignac asked administration to report back on options, including a cull, to control windsor’s canada goose population. at the time, gignac said the fowl population was “becoming a dangerous hazard” and was causing personal injury and vehicle accidents.
whether or not a permit to cull geese is granted, the recent staff report said, depends on the location, the number of geese impacts, and what other mitigation measures have already been explored.
“it is not likely a permit would be granted without first trying other management/removal techniques that are listed in this report,” the document said.
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if council decides at a future meeting to formalize a plan of action, city staff recommend hiring a goose management company. if approved, the project would have an upset funding limit of $450,000 over three years.
the report identified four ways geese may cause damage or danger to people: geese pose a “significant threat” to incoming and outgoing aircraft at airports; they will defend their nests if provoked; large flocks can “ruin” grassy areas and impede traffic when they cross roads; and they may leave “excessive” droppings in areas where people and geese co-exist.
over the past five years, the city has received approximately 500 calls to 311 regarding geese. just over half were dead animal notifications, and roughly a quarter were complaints about goose droppings. the rest were geese management suggestions (seven per cent), improper feeding of geese complaints (six per cent) and, road safety concerns (three per cent).
the remaining five per cent, the report said, were a combination of signage requests — ‘no feeding geese’ and geese crossing signs — as well as anti-cull concerns and injured animal reports.
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