White-tailed Deer in Sifton Bog – Chronology of Events

Summer 2000
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) receives calls from residents of the community surrounding Sifton Bog reporting more frequent sightings of White-tailed Deer on private residential properties.

June 2001
The UTRCA and the City of London host a community meeting to provide residents with information about White-tailed Deer in the Bog and potential deer management options, as well as to discuss future directions. A Community Steering Committee is formed to study the issue and make recommendations to the agencies involved.

February 3, 2003
After 18 months of investigation and review of accepted management options, the Sifton Bog White-tailed Deer Community Steering Committee submits its Final Report, which outlines the research undertaken regarding deer ecology, the situation of deer in the Bog in 2002, and a full discussion on various lethal and non-lethal management techniques, and recommends that a controlled archery hunt be implemented to decrease the number of deer in the Bog.

April 2003
The UTRCA passes a motion recognizing the wishes of the local community and supports the recommendation of the Community Steering Committee, that the herd be reduced by archery hunt in 2003.

June 9, 2003
Information report submitted to Planning Committee regarding the final recommendation of the Sifton Bog White-tailed Deer Community Steering Committee, and recommendation that a Public Meeting be held at the Planning Committee meeting of June 30, 2003.

June 30, 2003
Report to Planning Committee recommending a Fall 2003 harvest of White-tailed Deer in Sifton Bog, noting that a minimum of 8 deer are to be retained in the Bog. Planning Committee and Municipal Council do not accept the recommendation of the Community Steering Committee or City staff, and direct that staff report back in the Fall of 2003 regarding a Fall/ Winter deer count and other measures to address deer management.

October 27, 2003
Information Report to Planning Committee addressing the six issues identified by Municipal Council for follow-up and reporting.

August 30, 2004
Information Report to Planning Committee – Further information on two issues: the 2003 Deer Count results and the potential for chemo-sterilization control program.

September 2004
Municipal Council upholds a Planning Committee recommendation “That the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority be requested to take whatever steps are necessary to manage the deer in Sifton Bog.”

May 2005
City of London’s Corporate Management Team considers a plan for a controlled archery hunt as recommended by the Sifton Bog Community Steering Committee. In the team’s view the plan would have a limited effect on deer populations, would be controversial, would address only a small portion of the City, and would start the municipality on a path of annual deer management without a long-term strategy.

July 12, 2005
Sifton Bog Deer issue Update – The requirement for a City-wide deer management plan was requested by Council; however, a course of action would not be implemented until the ‘deer management strategies’ have been addressed.

December 12, 2005
Report to Planning Committee recommending an eight step strategy for addressing rising deer population in the City of London, as developed in conjunction with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, is accepted.

December 19, 2005
Municipal Council accepts seven of the eight steps of the strategy accepted by Planning Committee. Council drops the seventh step “to plan for a managed cull at the Sifton Bog as a pilot test, if permitted by the MNR and if annual counts show an uncontrolled increase in deer and/or increasing destruction of natural features and/or unacceptable level of car-deer incidents.”

August 7, 2007
City staff update report to Council on activities to implement the seven acceptable deer management strategies approved by Council.

August 11, 2008
City staff update report to Council on activities to implement the seven acceptable deer management strategies approved by Council in response to specific concerns around the Sifton Bog.

January 26, 2009
Sifton Bog Master Plan – Planning Committee approval of the Conservation Master Plan with 55 recommendations to address the long-term management of Sifton Bog ESA, including assessing the impacts of surplus deer on the sensitive bog ecosystem.

February 2, 2009
City Council adopted and approved the Sifton Bog Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) Conservation Master Plan for 2009-2019, and requested that the Civic Administration report back at a future Environment and Transportation Committee meeting with respect to the following, as it pertains to the white-tailed deer in the Sifton Bog:

1. immediate non-lethal solutions that would include anaesthetizing the deer to remove and relocate them from the Bog;
2. options on the best way to keep the deer from returning to the Bog, once removed, including the creation of a feeding station away from the Bog area;
3 .long term solutions that may include the Spay-Vac Vaccine.

April 6, 2009

Environment and Transportation Committee resolved that the following actions be taken with respect to white-tailed deer management options in Sifton Bog:

a. the Ministry of Natural Resources and the UTRCA be asked by the Municipal Council to conduct a legal deer hunt in the Fall of 2009;
b. the Civic Administration be asked to report back to the Environment and Transportation Committee by July, 2009 with respect to the following:

i. an integrated white-tailed deer management action plan for the medium and long-term strategy to preserve the Sifton Bog, relating to the removal of buckthorn and inappropriate human activity in the Sifton Bog;
ii. the City Solicitors Office be asked to investigate the feasibility of establishing a fine for people feeding deer in the Sifton Bog; it being noted that the requested fine amount is $250.00;
iii. a communication strategy to educate Londoners, in the area around the Sifton Bog, on the significance of the Sifton Bog; and

c. the City Solicitors Office be asked to investigate the feasibility of establishing a fine for people feeding deer in the Sifton Bog; it being noted that the requested fine amount is $250.00.

April 20, 2009

City Council amended and approved the ETC report as follows:

That the following actions be taken with respect to white-tailed deer:

a. the request for a legal deer hunt in the Fall of 2009 by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority be deferred pending receipt of the staff report containing additional scientific data and research, which is anticipated to be submitted for consideration in February 2010;
b. the Civic Administration be asked to report back to the Environment and Transportation Committee by July, 2009 with respect to the following:

i. an integrated white-tailed deer management action plan for the medium and long-term strategy to preserve the Sifton Bog, relating to the removal of buckthorn and inappropriate human activity in the Sifton Bog;
ii. a communication strategy to educate Londoners, in the area around the Sifton Bog, on the significance of the Sifton Bog;

c. the City Solicitors Office be asked to investigate the feasibility of establishing a fine for people feeding deer in the Sifton Bog; it being noted that the requested fine amount is $250.00;
d. the Civic Administration be requested to ask the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for detailed information on what options are available to address deer overpopulation concerns in the Sifton Bog, including the possibility of a “deer drive”, and to report back thereon, including estimates of the costs associated with the various options, including fencing, that are brought forward by the MNR; and
e. the Civic Administration be asked to consult with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and report back at a future meeting of the Environment and Transportation Committee with respect to the broader issues of deer management in the City of London.