Education remains the name of the game, for now, when it comes to Okotoks’ deer feeding bylaw.
The issue of feeding deer, intentionally or unintentionally, was raised during the Town’s council meeting on Feb. 26, when Okotoks Municipal Enforcement manager Vik Kulkarni presented stats on the number of deer feeding complaints received since 2022. The information was presented in response to an earlier council inquiry.
There were 16 complaints in 2022 and 12 in 2023, and no fines have been issued, Kulkarni said.
In some cases, no offence was found, and in the others, an educational approach was taken.
“Many times, constituents here in the community are not aware of the bylaw and what they can and cannot do,” he said.
If municipal enforcement is called a second time for the same complaint, that person gets a written warning, and there were two of those given last year, Kulkarni said.
The information was in response to an inquiry from Coun. Rachel Swendseid.
Swendseid asked if it was time to take a zero-tolerance approach and to start issuing fines, but Kulkarni said he doesn’t feel like there is an immediate need to do that.
Fines under the bylaw range from $150 to $250 for a first offence and can double for a second offence.
The bylaw was adopted in 2021 and prohibits intentional or unintentional feeding.
During the meeting, Town staff said the bylaw includes bird feeders and apple trees and asks that fallen apples be cleaned up and bird feeders be placed out of reach of deer.
Swendseid stopped short of asking for zero-tolerance or changes to the bylaw, but said the issue needs to be dealt with before more can be done to manage the deer population.
“We can remove all the deer we want," she said. "But if people are going to feed them when they start re-establishing themselves, it doesn’t make any sense."
There are times people hold out their hand and deer come to them because they are habituated to being fed, she said.
“It’s completely unacceptable that the deer are doing that, and it means that in our community that is a problem,” she said.
Coun. Gord Lang said he supports the focus on education rather than enforcement.
“You could put grain in your backyard, but I could plant an apple tree,” Lang said. “They are both feeding the deer.
“This is where I like what you're doing with education, because it is a slippery slope that you have to go down."
