By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
Town of Oliver Council unanimously carried a motion to allow geese to be culled at the Oliver Municipal Airport again, following a pause to the program last year.
The program of culling geese was halted following a shooting incident that damaged structures on the airport property in 2024. The previous person hired to do the culling had their bylaw exemption revoked as a result.
The revised plan calls for two professional hunters, Lionel Trudel and Bob Byer, to perform the culling this time around. Trudel, a former Canadian Armed Forces member with full knowledge of program and airport rules, and Byer, an instructor for hunting and firearms safety programs, have been involved with the goose culling program since its early days.
At a recent Airport Advisory Committee meeting, a recommendation was made to revive goose culling with just Byer and Trudel’s involvement. Both Byer and Trudel, along with Director of Operations Kelly Mercer, gave presentations; Mercer’s report gave a program update, while Byer and Trudel gave their report on the steps they would take to “ensure safety and success” of the operation, and prevent a repeat of the previous incident.
From the AAC meeting, the motion to advance it to the September 15 Regular Council Meeting was carried in what was documented as a 5 to 1 decision, with Dave Gillespie the only committee member opposed.
Geese provide a hazard to aircraft arriving and departing from the airport, as they number in the hundreds on a daily basis.
The timing of the program update and revival is notable, as White-Fronted, Snow and Ross’s Geese all have their open season from September 23 to January 7 in Provincial Management Unit 8-1, in which Oliver resides. Canada and Cackling Geese have their open season in PMU 8-1 from September 20 to November 28, with a couple of additional two-week periods following.
Mayor Martin Johansen, who attended the committee meeting in-person along with Councillor Aimee Grice joining virtually, appreciated the discussion the AAC had to bring back goose culling.
“That was a (resounding) recommendation made by the committee,” Johansen said. “Had a good presentation from Lionel and Bob about the strategy they’ll be using to cull geese, and the safety considerations they’ll be taking as part of their strategy.”
The full goose culling program will not return yet, however the report brought to the Council meeting notes that the belief is it can be revived “at a future date” with enhanced procedures in place.”
