Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
A last-minute addition was made to council鈥檚 committee of the whole鈥檚 agenda on Aug. 23 regarding the removal of fruit trees on municipal lands.
The matter was before council because the municipality had received a letter from Parks Canada explaining the need to remove 21 pit cherry trees along the Cabin Creek waterway and three other fruit bearing trees in a nearby playground between Cabin Creek Drive and Patricia Street.
The concern is that the area is popular with residents and is also a wildlife corridor with trees that attract animals, such as bears, thereby creating an unsafe situation for all involved.
John Greathead, director of operations for the municipality, presented the matter to council.
鈥淟ast week, staff from the human wildlife conflict management group approached me, citing numerous bears in town becoming increasingly problematic,鈥� Greathead said.
鈥淢y understanding is that there have been as many as eight bears in a small area, sometimes concentrations of under 200 metres between all eight bears.鈥�
Parks Canada has identified one mother black bear with three cubs, another sow with two cubs and a single black bear that have consistently been roaming and feeding in the area.
Pictures provided by Parks show the bears in very close proximity to playgrounds and municipally-owned lands and facilities.
鈥淎dministratively, I propose that I can address the Cabin Creek areas (and) the 21 pit cherry trees that they鈥檝e highlighted in the riparian zone between Bonhomme and Patricia,鈥� Greathead said.
鈥淭hose ones, I think we can remove them pretty easily, as well as some of the ones that are problematic within our playground areas.鈥�
Going forward, he suggested that the municipality and Parks Canada enter into a more collaborative approach for a solution to deal with the fruit trees in the long term.
Greathead added there are other options available, such as the potential to work with Parks Canada to incentivize homeowners willing to replace fruit trees with non-fruit trees.
Mayor Richard Ireland asked him to confirm what the plan was for next steps, citing an email Greathead received from Parks wanting to take 鈥渋mmediate action.鈥�
鈥淎dministratively, I would like to proceed with all the trees that are highlighted in the Parks report鈥long Cabin Creek鈥s well as any that are in or (near) the playgrounds,鈥� Greathead said.
He added that the municipality needs to come up with a more comprehensive approach for further replacement and fruit tree reduction.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that this is a problem that we鈥檙e going to solve this year but鈥he town could lessen the risk in the immediate term by the removal of those trees.鈥�
Christine Nadon, the municipality鈥檚 director of protective and legislative services, said administration was aware that this was a sensitive topic in the community and that the intention was to bring the matter to council鈥檚 attention in a public forum so the announcement was not unexpected.
鈥淭he bears could very well be put down if the attractants are not removed,鈥� Nadon said.
鈥淏ut also, as director of protective services, the public safety perspective is certainly something that caught my attention.鈥�
Greathead explained how the bears are becoming more conditioned to living close to the community and are therefore more problematic.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e just wandering in (to town) now; that鈥檚 the urgency from Parks Canada,鈥� he said.
鈥淚鈥檝e been told that (the bears鈥�) behaviour might not let them see another week or two if they鈥檙e keeping this much of a nuisance (and) I expect that (Parks) are feeling an urgency that a conflict may arise in the near future.鈥�
Mayor Ireland empathized with Greathead.
鈥淚f you make the decision to action this request from Parks Canada, I certainly will not be second guessing you.鈥�
Ireland said it would be upsetting to lose a bear because of inaction.
鈥淏ut it would be tragic to lose a child because of our hesitation.鈥�
