Canada/Municipal elections: Colchester residents asked to vote on deer hunting

Residents of several areas in the municipality of Colchester, Nova Scotia, will have to vote on a deer hunt in their community during the municipal elections.

This bow and crossbow hunt would be carried out in these areas to control the white-tailed deer population, which has become too large.

This hunt has been carried out since 2022 in the municipality of Truro and Millbrook First Nation.

Citizens in neighboring areas will have to decide whether they want the measure extended to their area.

According to the Municipality of Colchester, the deer population in the area has become too large, disrupting the ecosystem, destroying property and contributing to traffic accidents.

The outgoing mayor, Christine Blair, is in favor of the measure.

When you get calls from citizens complaining that they can't grow vegetables and their ornamental plants are being eaten [...] you have to recognize that there's a problem," says Blair.

Her rival, Geoff Stewart, also supports the hunt.

It's time to take action. It's an opportunity for citizens to get involved and exercise their democratic right to express themselves on how they think we should proceed," he says.

In the last municipal election, 53% of voters were in favor of an urban hunt in Truro. Over 100 white-tailed deer have been killed as a result of this hunt in the past three years.

On October 19, voters in the Brookside, Bible Hill and Valley areas will be asked if they want the hunt to be extended to their community.

Meat from the animals killed during the hunt was donated to local food banks, and several of the deer were used for research purposes.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/