Robert McCallum says he won’t stop feeding deer on Mission Island.
A 103rd Street resident, McCallum says he’s been feeding the dozens of deer that congregate on his property since 1996, and calls the city’s new bylaw prohibiting the feeding of deer and other woodland creatures nothing more than a cash grab.
He will take precautions, however, when the enforcement of the bylaw kicks in on May 1.
“I can’t see myself not feeding them. Just look out my window and I’ve maybe got 60 deer in the window looking in the window for food. What’s a guy to do?” McCallum said Monday.
“I’m not going to be foolish enough to get caught feeding, because that’s less money I’ll be able to put out for the deer. But I’m still going to feed the deer.”
The wildlife feeding prohibition bylaw was passed by city council on Feb. 27, in response to fears of increased collisions between deer and vehicles on city streets. City officials also said feeding deer can lead to the spread of disease and overpopulation, which can lead to the destruction of both public and private property.
The bylaw applies to any non-domesticated animal, including geese, ducks and seagulls, but does not include any other birds.
The public is not allowed to use attractants of any kinds, to entice or feed wild animals of any kind within city limits or face a fine of up to $5,000.
Exceptions include vegetable and flower gardens, landscaped lawns and vegetation, fruit on fruit trees and compost stations.
McCallum, whose home includes a stable of cats, dogs and a parrot, not to mention a collection of cheeky squirrels running loose in his yards, said call a spade a spade.
“The city’s trying to make more money, because everybody feeds animals, it’s not just the deer. It’s all kinds of animals. What are they going to do?” he asked.
“Are they going to stop feeding everybody from feeding all the kinds of animals? I just can’t see that.”
City licensing and enforcement manager Ron Bourret on Monday said it's not the city's intent to go after people feeding squirrels, and that deer, ducks, geese and gulls are the main targets.
"However, if we do receive other types of wildlife complaints which are causing a nuisance to a neighbour we can deal with the smaller critters using our property standards bylaw," Bourret said. "The complainant at the end of the day would have to attend court, if it got to that level, to explain to the judge how the feeding of a squirrel by a neighbour is impacting his or her lifestyle."
While he understands the safety issues in the city, where deer have been known to romp down Balmoral Street and Memorial Avenue, both busy thoroughfares, McCallum thinks Mission Island is a different animal altogether.
“Here people know when I feed the deer and they go slow. I’ve never heard of any deer getting killed up here by any vehicles, except by poaching,” said the 63-year-old McCallum, who operates the jack-knife bridge for a living.
“Other than that, if people drive the speed limit, they shouldn’t hit any deer. To me this is a sanctuary. It is safe here on the island, so I can’t see any problem feeding them.”
Bourret on Friday said public safety has to come first.
“Though they may seem like kind actions and a nice thing to do we are causing automobile accidents on our roads,” Bourret said. “No serious injuries have happened to date and we certainly don’t want any to happen in the future.”
Find the bylaw here by searching the word "deer."
-- With a file from Jamie Smith
Follow Leith Dunick on Twitter: @LeithDunick
