UPDATE: City to pass on pigeon policing
By Contributor
The City of Trail Pigeon Control Program is currently on hold, according to city communications coordinator Andrea Jolly.
“Trail City Council previously approved $25,000 to eliminate the ongoing pigeon problem in the downtown area and the Victoria Street Bridge. Due to miscommunications in the proposed contract with pest control service provider, Care Pest, the city has decided to take no action until all details of the contract have been clarified,” Jolly said in a press release this morning, adding in alter interview that the city’s understanding, from the original proposal, was that the birds would trapped and released – but found out from the media that Care Pest doesn’t relocate pigeons. “Any changes to the original proposal will need to be presented and approved by council before an official contract is signed.
“We can’t proceed without 100-per-cent clarity of what the contract entails,” she said. “We have yet to hear back from Care Pest.”
“We want to deal with the pigeon problem in the city, but we want to ensure we are very clear on the details of the contract before doing so,” says Mayor Dieter Bogs. “We will clear up any misunderstandings with the service provider, discuss with Council, and then decide how to proceed.”
The City of Trail will provide updates to the Pigeon Control Program as information becomes available.
Previous story:
The City of Trail has approved a $25,000 contract with Care Pest Control, a Vancouver-owned pest control service provider, to eliminate the ongoing pigeon problem in the downtown area and the Victoria Street Bridge. The project will commence in early March and take approximately three months to complete.
Working in accordance with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Care Pest Control will not harm any birds during this process. All birds will be trapped, and then donated to a Vancouver-based pigeon trainer. Additionally, plans are in the works to pass a bylaw that will discourage people from directly feeding pigeons in Trail.
“Pigeons carry many diseases and parasites and we are concerned for the health of our citizens,” said Trail mayor Dieter Bogs. “We want to reduce the number of these birds in the most humane way possible, and we also want to discourage people from feeding them as this leads to an unmanageable situation.”
Although the bird spikes that were installed on the Victoria Street Bridge last summer by the Ministry of Transportation have reduced the amount of bird feces on the bridge sidewalk and have deterred the birds from nesting on the bridge, the number of pigeons in Trail continues to be a big problem.
“The city considered many options, and given the way the problem has now escalated along with the ongoing complaints received, the city feels this is the most effective way of proceeding,” said city communications coordinator Andrea Jolly.
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