The Vancouver Park Board approved a 38-page Canada Goose Management Plan Monday (May 9) that includes the use of lethal control methods.
"To reduce the population quickly, lethal removal of geese is required," reads the plan put together by Park Board staff and an environmental consultant.
However, in order to receive permission to dispatch geese from the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Park Board is required to demonstrate that they have implemented other mitigation measures such as hazing (chasing them away through various methods), water management, landscape modification, and strict bylaws.
According to the Park Board, they have tried all of these methods and egg addling but the approach has been insufficient.
A 2022 population study indicated that there were at least 2,200 geese in Vancouver with an estimated population growth of 18 per cent per year in spite of the measures already taken.
"Geese typically nest in secluded areas and often on the roofs and balconies of privately-owned buildings, limiting access to nests for addling," says the report which also cites limits on federal goose relocation permits and financial resource challenges.
While the management plan warns against a population size target as a primary goal to evaluate its effectiveness, the Park Board had two proposed scenarios for improved management of the existing goose population, one on a 15- to 20-year timeline that did not include removal and one on a five- to 10-year timeline that did--they chose the latter.
"Without a reasonable mitigation approach, the Canada goose population in Vancouver will continue to grow with the potential to reach up to 10,000 geese by 2030," the report reasoned. "An effective management program applies a suite of seasonally timed techniques to control the size and distribution of the population humanely."
The funding to implement the plan is not currently available in the 2023 budget so further action is pending Council approval as part of the 2024 Operating Budget process. The Park Board will also need to secure permission from the Canadian Wildlife Service.
There is also hope that a coordinated effort between municipalities can be arranged given that geese don't obey political boundaries. Currently, each municipality tailors a local approach to goose management but the Park Board says it has put out a call to regional counterparts for the reinstatement of the former "Canada Goose Working Group."
The Park Board suggests drawing on experience from Vancouver Island to inform the local management approach.
