Militant approach needed to control Canada goose population in border city, says expert

Managing Windsor's population of Canada geese will require militant effort over multiple years to truly make a dent in the number of the birds throughout the city.

That's according to Dan Frankian of Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control Specialists — a bird control expert with more than 36 years of experience managing animal populations.

"They're coming after you and you're going after them, and we know how militant they can be," Frankian told CBC.

The former Canadian Armed Forces sniper and master falconer has traveled all over the world to help large corporations and government agencies get bird populations under control.

Frankian said dealing with Canada geese needs special diligence.

"I mean, they call them the Canadian Air Force not for unknown reasons. These things are good, all right," Frankian advised.

The City of Windsor has hired a contractor to remove 150 eggs from seven nesting locations in Windsor. It's a method that requires a permit from the federal government.

Council approved a $30,000 geese management strategy as part of the city's annual operating budget earlier this year.

Riverside-area councillor Jo-Anne Gignac pushed for action on the issue after she heard last summer from a constituent complaining about nearly colliding with geese while riding a bike on Ganatchio Trail.

"He swerved to avoid them. He was thrown from his bike and spent four days in the hospital with a broken collar bone and six broken ribs," Gignac told council in June 2024.

Geese crossing busy roads have led to other collisions in the city, in some cases sending people to hospital with serious injuries.

"These flocks of geese just walking out into the road, people slamming on their brakes, and it's a mess," Gignac told council.

But a spokesperson for the federal government said Windsor's management plan is a good starting point that's in line with what similar sized cities across Ontario have been doing.

"However, habitat modification and education remain vital to mitigating human-goose conflicts in Windsor," wrote Samuel Lafontaine, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada.