Regular Meeting September 22nd, 2014
The Poop on Geese: The 2014-2015 Hunting Season for Canada Geese commenced September 20th and the Town has once more invited applicants to apply for the necessary exemption to discharge firearms within our boundaries.
Rotary Beach and the Oliver Airport continue to be adversely affected by non-migratory Canada Geese and either defecating on the beach or in the case of the airport, posing a significant danger to planes. Egg addling was the first effort to control the goose population but at $2,000 per year has been less than successful so hunting appears to be the only other truly effective control method. Carol Sheridan, Manager of Parks and recreation had two ‘Away With Geese’ Laser lamps mounted at Rotary Beach and these appear to be working to control the population there, but hunting is really the only guarantee of success.
Goose control is a controversial matter for some residents but we have to realize that Canada Geese are actually a migratory bird and would normally fly over Oliver to their seasonal nesting areas. The Oliver geese have been attracted over the years by easy pickings and attracted by a ready supply of food, some of which is dropped by well-meaning animal lovers. The major health issue continues to be the bacteria released from goose feces which can result in serious respiratory problems for young children playing in the sand.
Budget Time: David Svetlichny, Chief Financial Officer for Oliver, requested Council’s approval for 2015 Budget timelines as laid out in his report. Council will start the process on October 27th with deliberations on the Oliver Fire Department’s budget. This process will extend into 2015 with Adoption of the Tax Rate Bylaw on April 13th.
Acting Mayor Dave Mattes noted that Council will establish a ‘0%’ increase as the starting position on all preliminary budgets; he considers this is the number to start from and adjust upwards if necessary.
Our Hike and Bike Trail: After many years and many Councils Oliver now has ‘Tenure’ on the Okanagan River Dike running on the East side of the River from the Fairview Road Bridge down to Vertical Drop Structure (VDS) 11. The Province signed off on a 30 year License of Occupation which will allow the Town to pave the pathway and Parks and Recreation to hire a contractor for weed control. Accessibility Ramps are proposed for VDS 13 (opposite the Forbes Wetland area) and VDS 11 so that everyone will be able to take advantage of a great round-trip alongside the river. The total for this work, which includes some pads for future benches, will be somewhere under $200,000 according to Shawn Goodsell, Director of Public Works.
When questioned about camping along the dike Mr. Goodsell stated that this continues to be an issue for some residents. He mentioned that Public Works staff tell people to move when they are camping on Town owned Irrigation System property but in reality the only vested authority to move campers lies with the RCMP or Conservation Service. With respect to motorized equipment on the trail, he suggested that concerned citizens should attempt to record license plate numbers if possible but he also acknowledged that most of the violators were on ATVs or other un-licensed and motorized equipment.