Commentary:
City plays the ostrich as Petrie Island geese population multiplies
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Canada Geese have once again become a major problem on Petrie Island and it's time the city takes the situation seriously before drastic measures are needed. File photo

The growing geese population at Petrie Island is starting to become a major embarrassment for the City of Ottawa and city council in particular.

The situation became apparent three years ago when visitors to the island began noticing large numbers of Canada Geese strolling around the beach.

Ottawa-Orléans MPP Phil McNeely was the first to sound the alarm. The former Cumberland Ward councillor called on the city to impose an immediate geese management strategy aimed at dissuading the large migratory birds from establishing a foothold on the island. Unfortunately, his early warnings fell on deaf ears.

It wasn't until the geese started to take over Andy Haydon Park in the west end that the city began to take the problem seriously and even then they embarked on a halfhearted pilot project that amounted to installing signs warning people not to feed the animals.

As an indication of how seriously city council took the geese problem, they voted to defer their participation in a geese management program with the NCC and the City of Gatineau as part of the budget process last December in order to save a whopping $50,000.

In case you're wondering, Bob Monette was one of the councillors who voted in favour of deferral. Which brings us to the present. The geese problem on Petrie Island is growing exponentially with each passing year.

Canada Geese are creatures of habit, returning every year to the same feeding grounds. As the flock grows, so does the problem. The best way to combat the problem is to establish a deterrent as soon as possible. Ideally in the first year.

Various deterrents include propane canons which make an extremely loud noise; border collies which can harass the geese; plastic decoys of raptors and other birds of prey; tethered helium balloons and strobe lights.

The problem is that the city and city council have never taken the issue seriously despite multiple warnings from Phil McNeely, yours truly and Friends of Petrie Island director Al Tweddle, who is at his wits end in trying to deal with the problem.

Monette's solution is to hire summer students and have them run around picking up after the geese or have the lifeguards do it.

Here's a better idea. Why not take some of the money the city's making from the parking lot or the dozens of tickets they hand out every weekend on the island and invest that in a proper, effective geese management program.

Half-ass measures measures will only give you half-ass results. Mr. Monette has ignored this problem for the past three years. His solution now is get trained, well-paid lifeguards to walk around picking up geese droppings instead of doing the job they're hired to do.

If that's the best he can come up with then we are in bigger trouble than I thought.

Taxpayers have invested over $2 million turning Petrie Island into one of the nicest outdoor recreation facilities in the city. To turn it over to a bunch of marauding Canada Geese because the city can't be bothered to do anything about it would be an absolute travesty,

(Posted 10:30 p.m., July 30)

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