Sidney Island deer eradication cost surges to $12M
The cost of a plan to eradicate an invasive species of deer from Sidney Island just off the coast of Vancouver Island has ballooned.
On Wednesday, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation shared the findings of an access-to-information request it filed, which found the federal government has set aside $12 million for the work.
Since it was first announced, Parks Canada’s decision to wipe out European fallow deer from Sidney Island – including shooting the animals from a helicopter—has been controversial. It has attracted protests, both among animal rights activists and those concerned with the cost.
Part of the cost includes bringing in sharpshooters from the U.S. and New Zealand. Previous reporting on the project has referenced a $5.9-million budget.
“Parks Canada has dreamed up the most expensive way imaginable of hunting these deer,” Carson Binda with the CTF said Wednesday.
Adding to the upset, the CTF points out local hunters killed 54 deer last fall—at no cost to taxpayers.
“Local hunters who have been managing the deer for a decade for free are obviously a better option for this cull,” Binda added.
As for the rationale behind eradication efforts, First Nations, Parks Canada and other partners have been trying to restore the ecosystem with Indigenous plants, which the invasive fallow deer love to munch on.
Parks Canada did not respond to a CTV News request for comment by broadcast deadline, but its website outlines the thinking behind the plan.
“European fallow deer were introduced to the Southern Gulf Islands in the early-to-mid-1900s, and populations have since grown consistently. Having stripped the forest understory of native tree seedlings and shrubs, the deer are the primary threat to the Coastal Douglas-fir forest ecosystem on SḰŦÁMEN (Sidney Island),” it reads.
“This extensive browsing has created ideal conditions for invasive grasses and shrubs like English hawthorn to take over. The result is an ecosystem that is missing many native and culturally significant understory plants, is lacking in habitat for songbirds and other wildlife, and is less resilient to the impacts of climate change.”
Phase 2 of the project is scheduled to begin in the fall and will involve ground hunters with dogs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6939697.1719286227!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Top Cats: Panthers win their 1st Stanley Cup, top Oilers 2-1 in Game 7
The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Oilers' McDavid wins Conn Smythe Trophy after Game 7 loss
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has been awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the NHL playoffs after an incredible post-season that finished just short of a Stanley Cup.
Votes in Toronto byelection counting very slowly, Liberals narrowly ahead of Tories
Conservative candidate Don Stewart remained hopeful late Monday despite trailing his Liberal opponent in the Toronto-St. Paul's byelection where results were extremely slow to come in.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with U.S. that will allow him to walk free
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to walk free and resolve a long-running legal saga that spanned multiple continents and centred on the publication of a trove of classified documents.
Canada's population forecast to reach 63 million, as people over 85 set to triple
New projections by Statistics Canada suggest the nation's population could reach 63 million by 2073.
opinion Princess Anne's enduring popularity: her equestrian excellence, Canadian connections and an escaped kidnapping attempt
In light of the news that Princess Anne's trip this week to Canada was cancelled because of an injury, royal commentator Afua Hagan looks at the princess's contributions as a royal figure that extend far beyond traditional ceremonials.
14-year-old boy facing 2 counts of first-degree murder in connection with Rexdale shooting investigation
A 14-year-old boy has been charged in connection with a “mass shooting” outside a school in Etobicoke earlier this month that took the lives of two men and wounded three others, police say.
Sask. speaker officially resigns from Sask. Party caucus
Speaker Randy Weekes officially tendered his resignation from the Saskatchewan Party Government Caucus – following an extended saga that saw Weekes accuse government MLAs of harassment.
Teen girl pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Toronto homeless man
A fourth teen accused in the fatal stabbing of a Toronto homeless man has pleaded guilty.