Windsor councillor says city should consider goose cull for 'out of control' population
A 'lethal removal' of geese was approved in Vancouver last year
Windsor Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac says it's time to deal with the Canada goose population in the city that she says is out of control and now a safety hazard.
Gignac wants city staff to create a plan to limit the number of geese, including a cull, which is a selective slaughter of the animal.
"The Canada goose population, Mr. Mayor [Drew Dilkens], is becoming a dangerous hazard," Gignac said at Monday's council meeting, as she and fellow council members broke out into a chuckle.
The laughter stopped as Gignac shared a story of a man in her ward who claims to have suffered broken bones after an incident on Ganatchio Trail.
Gignac said the man was biking and encountered a group of geese.
"He swerved to avoid them. He was thrown from his bike and spent four days in the hospital with a broken collar bone and six broken ribs," she said.
Geese-involved collisions
According to Gignac, personal injuries and vehicle accidents involving geese are on the rise — although she did not cite any statistics indicating such a trend.
Last year, Windsor police reported a multi-vehicle collision on the E.C. Row Expressway was caused by a driver stopping for geese crossing the road.
The incident resulted in a different driver being hospitalized with injuries.
The driver who stopped was charged with careless driving.
Geese have been known to cross streets and roads in Windsor in large numbers.
"These flocks of geese just walking out into the road, people slamming on their breaks, and it's a mess," said Gignac, describing the flocks as "absolutely hazard."
Gignac's council question was supported by the entire council, including Angelo Marignani, who said the amount of goose poop is "unsafe and unsavoury" on city parkways.
Vancouver awaiting provincial, federal permits for cull
In Vancouver, city staff say there are at least 2,200 geese, as of 2022, and the population grows by an estimated 18 per cent every year.
The park board has approved a Canada goose management plan that would allow for the "lethal removal" of geese, if necessary.
The process requires permits from upper levels of government to move forward.
"That process includes showing ... an approved management plan and demonstrating that the current methods that we are using to mitigate the impacts of geese are insufficient," said Dana McDonald, environmental stewardship co-ordinator with the Vancouver Park Board.
Documents submitted to Vancouver council show the city would need to hire trained experts to start the process and pay for meat processing.
That plan would cost $375,000 if approved in the city's 2024 budget process.
Goose population on the rise because of climate change: Expert
Tom Coke is the executive director of the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Foundation in Kingsville, a sanctuary for waterfowl including geese.
He says that a warming and changing climate is why Windsor and Essex county is seeing more geese out and about: Windsor's generally warm climate means that water isn't freezing over and grasslands are accessible. And for some geese, Windsor-Essex is actually becoming the southern point to which they migrate.
Coke said the region has seen an increase in the goose population, though exact numbers aren't available.
But, he says, Jack Miner would be opposed to a cull.
"In our mind at this point, a cull would be nothing short of assassination of birds which just isn't something that we would be for," Coke said.
Instead, there are things the city can do, like working with the sanctuary on goose relocation and re-introduction to migratory paths. He says they've worked with Brampton and Oakville, for example, to reduce the goose population by anywhere from 60 to 70 per cent.
Another strategy is investing in wetland restoration, giving the geese a place to be outside of cities
"Creating an aquatic habitat that geese would be open to going to and and and exploring," Coke said. "That'll go a long way to helping to reduce the burden."
Coke said he hopes the conversation can extend an "olive branch" to the City of Windsor, and other municipalities, who need help working on their goose populations.
"The Canada goose is such a misunderstood creature. They are really beautiful majestic creatures," he said, inviting the public to see the geese at Jack Miner.
"These creatures, they're vastly misunderstood and they're not that great big boogeyman that's going to attack you for the sake of attacking you there … they should be respected and they should be protected."
Barry MacKay is the director of the Animal Alliance of Canada. He says complaints about geese in urban areas tend to occur when there's grass close to water — like along Windsor's riverfront.
"Habitat modification is the term we use for the most effective method of reducing numbers of Canada geese, and in this case it means not having turf grass, their favourite food, next to water," MacKay said.
"Canada geese are part of the Canadian landscape, and adapt to the changes we make. But you know, we can adapt to them, and in this case by modifying the grass that is attracting them, or simply replacing it with less attractive vegetation."
Meanwhile, Windsor city staff are expected to complete a report on the geese issue and bring it forward to council at a future meeting.
There have been a number of efforts throughout the year to mitigate the prevalence of geese in Windsor, including hauling the birds to Holiday Beach in Amherstburg, fake dogs designed to spook the animals, and poop sweepers that clean trails throughout the city.
