CROWE has letter for council Final Edition

• Published in: Chatham daily news
• Main Author: Jensen, Lori
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chatham, Ont Postmedia Network Inc 02.02.2000
• ISSN: 0844-0654

This open letter is about controlling the population of crows in the Ward of Chatham. The decision to shoot the crows was wrong. It puts convenience ahead of respect for life. Council did not adequately consider the consequences of this shooting, or the clear and practical alternatives available. There are legal implications, including the violation of several of our own gun-control and noise bylaws; Chatham-Kent may face lawsuits which we, as taxpayers, would have to pay for since our insurance coverage may not cover liability incurred by city representatives engaged in unlawful activity (Mayor Erickson was warned to these issues in a December letter from the Executive Director of the Canadian Humane Society). Alternatives were presented to council by the Public Works Department, Dillon Consulting, and the OSPCA Wildlife Services in reports dated Nov. 12. All agreed on one issue: no crow-control program would work unless it included putting business and residential garbage into containers that the crows cannot get into (ie: garbage cans). This simple and practical solution would improve our public health situation by controlling other animals -- rats, skunks, raccoons, starlings and stray dogs.