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Raccoon population a concern to MD councillor

Foothills residents allege Calgary exterminators are dumping nuisance animals such as raccoons in the MD of Foothills and a councillor doesn’t want to be stuck with city’s masked bandit problem.
A pair of raccoons on the deck of Foothills MD Coun. Suzanne Oel’s porch in 2010. Oel is concerned exterminators from Calgary are dropping the nuisance animals off in
A pair of raccoons on the deck of Foothills MD Coun. Suzanne Oel’s porch in 2010. Oel is concerned exterminators from Calgary are dropping the nuisance animals off in the MD of Foothills.

Foothills residents allege Calgary exterminators are dumping nuisance animals such as raccoons in the MD of Foothills and a councillor doesn’t want to be stuck with city’s masked bandit problem.

Suzanne Oel, MD councillor for the Millarville area, said at the division’s Nov. 3 public meeting, she was told Calgary exterminators having been dropping raccoons into her area when they receive a request not to kill but to relocate the animals.

As a result, more raccoons are being seen in the area she said and because of the rapid reproduction of the animal, they may start spreading throughout the MD of Foothills.

In an interview after the MD of Foothills’ public meeting on Nov. 3 in High River, she said she believed a raccoon killed her cat last year and she is aware of residents who lost chickens to raccoons last week.

MD Reeve Larry Spilak suggested the issue be brought up with the City of Calgary at the next inter-municipal meeting and Oel agreed.

“It’s not just whether they are operating out here, but also the issue of putting their problem in someone else’s backyard,” Oel said of the exterminators. “Maybe they don’t even realize. We want to bring up the awareness and work from there.”

Geoff Carpenter, MD of Foothills protective services coordinator, said last year he received complaints about skunks being dumped by exterminators in the Policemen’s Flat area just north of Heritage Pointe.

Getting rid of nuisance animals, such as raccoons and skunks, is not under the jurisdiction of the MD of Foothills.

“It’s up to the landowners who have to follow the provincial rules,” Carpenter said. “My understanding is, they are called a nuisance. So, if they are doing nuisance things, the landowners can do what needs to be done to make them less of a nuisance.”

He does not recommend relocating the animals.

“If they are a nuisance, you don’t want to make them someone else’s problem,” Carpenter said. “The reality is, you might have to put them down.”

The MD of Foothills does provide skunk traps for ratepayers.

For more information call the MD of Foothills at 403-652-2341.

Hearing put off

The MD of Foothills has postponed a hearing concerning an “an unsightly premise” in the Division 6 area to Nov. 17 in order for the landowner to attend the meeting.

MD manager Harry Riva Cambrin said the landowner is presently in Panama, and will not be back in southern Alberta until Nov. 14. The original hearing was scheduled for Nov. 10.

“I think the individual should have his day in court,” Riva Cambrin said. “This person is in Panama.”

Riva Cambrin said there have been concerns from nearby residents the property is unsafe as well as unsightly.

If the MD is forced to clean up the property, the bill will be added to the landowner’s taxes.

MD Reeve Larry Spilak, who represents Division 6, the Heritage Pointe area, said the property has been a concern for a considerable amount of time.

“This has been an ongoing thing for a long time,” he said.

“Will it (the hearing) make a difference? I have been aware of this for two years.”

The MD of Foothills would not publicize the location of the property in question.

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