While residents are wary of rutting deer in Oak Bay, the Provincial Urban Deer Advisory Committee hopes to get the province receiving applications for funding this month.
Unused funds from last year will not roll over into this year’s program, said Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen, a member of the committee.
The committee convened in mid-August and includes representatives of local government, the ministries that oversee transportation, lands and forest, BC SPCA, UBCM and ICBC.
The committee is part of the response to a 2015 UBCM provincial deer management workshop recommendation.
The province committed to creating the advisory committee and providing up to $100,000 for urban deer management projects.
They met Monday to finalize application processes and deadlines, and Jensen confirmed any cash left over from last year will not be rolled into this year’s program.
“I expect communities, by the end of this month, will be notified of the application process,” Jensen said, adding the deadline is slated for the end of November.
That timeline is tentative, based on provincial approval of PUDAC’s proposal.
The committee is tasked with providing support to local governments that are managing and addressing urban deer issues in the province.