Calmar explores options to curb rise in local geese population

CALMAR -- The Town of Calmar is exploring options to curb a rise in the local geese population.

The matter was once again brought before Council at their meeting on Mar. 16, 2026, after the issue was first brought to the Town's attention by a delegation last year. According to Calmar staff, the increase in local geese has been primarily noted near the Southbridge stormwater pond. Staff provided several options at the meeting, including the removal of vegetation near the pond, no longer mowing nearby grass to deter the geese, and erecting new signage to inform the public to not feed or harass the wildlife.

Following deliberations, it was eventually determined that the township will consider amending their Parks Bylaw while also investigating how other municipalities have dealt with this matter in the past. Krista Gardner, Mayor of the Town of Calmar, says it would be worth exploring the possibility of adding some teeth to the bylaw to prevent the public from feeding or interfering with the geese.

"My thought is, and maybe Sean (Carnahan) is right in that a jurisdictional scan is not a bad idea, but we could simply add a line to that bylaw in the schedule that says harassment or feeding of the geese is a $50 ticket," said Gardner. "We've had conversations with our community peace officers around how they like having things in the bylaws that allow them to start conversations with people when needed."

Many larger municipalities in Canada, such as Victoria, BC, have dealt with issues relating to geese for many years with little to no success. In that particular case, the geese population rose to such an extent that the large amount of feces left in parks and fields resulted in health concerns for residents.