Some stories take flight all on their own.
Case in point, and still up in the air for Trail council, is how to rid the Silver City of its pigeons.
At the Feb. 25 meeting, council unanimously approved a $25,000 payment to Care Pest and Wildlife Control (CPWC) to rid the downtown area of the birds.
The CPWC contract set forth the proposal to trap the pigeons and relocate them to the lower mainland, where they would be donated to a pigeon trainer.
Wayne Proulx, engineering technician and administrator for the proposed contract, said a press release by the city garnered significant media attention and CPWC was inundated with calls over the destination of the birds.
“In a recent conversation with CPWC on March 5, they advised the city that their proposal with the City of Trail was withdrawn.”
Proulx said that CPWC was advised by the BCSPCA that due to the long distance from Trail to the Lower Mainland that it was in their best interest not to proceed with the pigeon control program with the City of Trail.
The main reason given was that if the pigeons were in distress in the traps, the time for CPWC to attend to the situation would not be done in a timely manner, said Proulx.
Now, to move forward, the pigeon control staff is recommending that a request for proposals (RFP) be obtained from qualified pest control companies that may be in a better position to respond.
“If council wants to proceed, a culling of the pigeons would be the next viable option,” said David Perehudoff, chief administrative officer for the city.
“We would proceed with the appropriate BCSPCA and Ministry of Natural Resources regulations.”
Perehudoff said, other than a cull, the only other option would be to carry on, status quo.
Coun. Sean Mackinlay asked for a secondary motion to request that the use of biological predators (hawks) be explored.
Perehudoff said that approach has been looked at, but scaring pigeons is expensive and only moves the population around.
“And they would eventually return to Trail.”
Coun. Eleanor Gattafoni-Robinson countered that all this research was done before approving the CPWC proposal.
“Personally I don’t think we should have to re-explore what we’ve already explored,” she said.
“To me that doesn’t make any sense; I think we should move along with the RFP and see where we sit.”
“ And then do what we have to do,” she added.
The recommendation to proceed with RFPs was carried forth.
The second issue still being pecked at is bylaw 2752 which passed a first, second and third reading on Monday.
If adopted, a $100 fine will be applicable to those who feed the birds.