I have waited a while before weighing in on the deer issue and I think it is time for a common sense approach to the proposed deer cull.
Oak Bay is not a fenced community. Deer will come and deer will go. If a deer wanders into Oak Bay from a neighbouring community and is killed, will that offset the number of deer in Oak Bay?
Cull 25 deer and the void will be filled by other deer. A cull is a seemingly endless venture and will cost the taxpayers annually. But have the residents been told that? Culling 25 deer won’t stop the car accidents. Speed control and enforcement would help.
When the mayor goes on talk radio to try and convince the listeners that a cull is necessary, it shows how insecure his decision is. It is too bad that he won’t give equal time to knowledgeable anti-cull advocates.
With so many educated animal groups and local citizens opposing the cull, the mayor cannot be swayed. He won’t listen to anyone and is basically taking a dictatorial attitude. I am right and everyone else knows nothing. Why is he so obsessed with killing deer?
I don’t know, although he has on more than one occasion mentioned safety. If so, why has it taken Oak Bay almost nine months to institute some sort of traffic mitigation.
Why is he spending so much time and taxpayer dollars on what is truly a frivolous scheme? Imagine if every community decided to cull “nuisance deer” (his words) what it would be like. But Oak Bay wants to set an example that the mayor figures will hold us in high esteem. It will be a black eye instead.
The decision to cull is, in my opinion, a knee jerk reaction which is contrary to common sense. Culls may have worked in rural communities where deer can be trapped and killed in a secluded place. Where does the mayor feel he can place kill traps in Oak Bay out of sight to many people? Can he be assured there will be no witnesses?
At one point there were three communities in the deer pilot project and I believe View Royal has decided it’s not worth the effort and cost. Other communities in the interior also feel that way.
Saanich, which has had more deer incidents than any other community in the Capital Region, is not at all interested.
As a long time resident and voter I know where my vote will go.
Janice Ward
Oak Bay