The District of West Vancouver is proposing new funding in 2026 to address growing problems caused by resident Canada Geese in public parks. The council will discuss the proposal at an upcoming meeting on October 6.
According to a staff report, geese are creating ongoing challenges, including feces on sports fields, playgrounds, and pathways, as well as damage to grass and shoreline areas. The Parks Department says current efforts, such as reduced mowing and limited shoreline fencing, have had only modest success.
To expand mitigation, staff are recommending a one-time increase of $12,000 to the 2026 operating budget for a survey to investigate geese nesting and moulting. The survey would provide the data required for potential federal permits and future management options, such as egg addling or hazing.
The report also calls for new investments in maintenance. Staff are seeking a $16,000 capital request for an additional labour for goose fecal matter collector and $14,600 in ongoing operating funds for increased cleaning and labour.
“These additions are needed as current efforts do not sufficiently address the impacts of geese activity on public spaces,” wrote Parks Environmental Operations Manager Tiffany Bentley in the report. The District spent about $1,800 in one-time costs and $7,800 in annual operating costs on geese management this year. If the new measures are approved, annual operating costs would more than double to $22,400 in 2026.
Over the last two years, West Vancouver implemented a series of low-impact management strategies, testing whether small environmental adjustments can discourage geese from gathering in sensitive areas.
Geese activity steady in West Vancouver parks
At Horseshoe Bay Park, the mowing schedule was reduced from May through August in 2024 and 2025. Letting the grass go dormant seemed to help, with staff reporting fewer geese where fresh shoots were no longer available. A short-term shoreline curtain fence was also piloted in 2025 to obscure sightlines between grass and open water—part of an effort to make the park less inviting during moulting season. Although initially effective, the curtain was sometimes opened by park visitors and eventually removed following public complaints about obstructed ocean views.
Elsewhere in the park, the children’s playground water feature remained shut off during the same period in 2025. Fewer geese were seen in the playground as a result.
Similar efforts were made at the West Vancouver Community Centre, where the ornamental fountain was turned off in 2024 after it became a magnet for geese. In 2025, it returned with limited hours, but geese activity increased again, particularly near the adjacent Great Lawn used by children’s summer camps. On August 7, the fountain was drained for the season.
In Ambleside Park, where large grass sports fields are a known draw for geese, changes to mowing or irrigation weren’t possible due to regular field use. Instead, crews have been using a tow-behind surface cleaner to remove feces from the Ambleside C baseball diamond, with weekly cleanings helping maintain safe play conditions. Staff say additional cleaning may be required on the soccer fields as geesee numbers rise in late summer and fall.
While these efforts have shown varying degrees of success, the underlying challenge remains: West Vancouver’s parks offer what the birds naturally seek, especially during the moulting and rearing season. As the local geese population holds steady, District staff are exploring more targeted and long-term strategies to manage the impacts on public spaces.
Council will consider the recommendations as part of the upcoming budget process.
How about getting all of the overpaid, lazy, and underused staff at city hall out there herding sheep (not the taxpayers)?
Hiring new staff is absurd! West Vancouver taxpayers are already footing the bill for providing subsidized housing to overpaid, spoiled West Vancouver employees so that they don’t have to battle rush hour traffic like the rest of us do!
Talk about entitled.
No. Absolutely no!