A Beaver Creek resident wants to see the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) tighten regulations on livestock at large in the area.
At a Jan. 25 ACRD board of directors meeting, Mel Francoeur urged board members to do something about the “free range attitude and to make people accountable for having animals that roam free” in Beaver Creek.
Francoeur and her husband live on a 10-acre farm in Beaver Creek where they own horses and cattle.
“Our property is totally fenced and cross fenced. We have purposely put up electric fencing with heavy mesh fencing to protect our animals and to protect others,” Francoeur explained.
“We don’t allow our animals to wander around out of our property. We want to know why other people can’t do the same thing.”
Francoeur said she’s seen many cows wandering across Beaver Creek Road in front of her vehicle in early morning darkness.
“We have more traffic on the roads, big logging trucks fully loaded and school buses. Beaver Creek has lots of fast traffic, it’s only a matter of time before someone hits the cow or the horse on the road in the dark,” Francoeur said. “Hitting a large 1,000 pound or 2,000 pound animal when most are driving at 60 km/hr or better on Beaver Creek Road would total the vehicle, hurt or kill the driver and the animal.”
In addition to roaming on the street, Francoeur said she’s come home to find large cattle outside her fence “harassing” her own cows and bull.
“If that bull got into my paddock he would kill my bull,” she said. “The old days of 1950s have passed when you could leave your livestock to roam free unfenced…it is now 2017, it’s time to change things.”
Francoeur pointed out that the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) has a bylaw prohibiting agricultural animals roaming free.
According to the CVRD’s Bylaw No. 100, a person owning or having the custody, care or control of any animal or dog must not permit or allow the animal or dog to run at large within the service area.
The bylaw also states that a poundkeeper or any peace officer is authorized as animal control officers to seize or impound any animal that is found at large.
“If Comox Valley can do it why can’t we?” Francoeur asked.
Mike Kokura, ACRD Beaufort director, said this was the first complaint he’s heard about livestock roaming free.
“I was under the impression that we weren’t open range,” he said. “My solution is that we refer this to our CEO (Russell Dyson) to come up with a proposal and if we are open range I agree that it should stop.
“I was always under the impression that the control of farm animals was under the provincial jurisdiction and that’s why I’d like to have the staff research this and find out exactly what’s happening and if it has to be handed to regional district then I guess we’re going to have to do something about that,” Kokura said.
John McNabb, ACRD Beaver Creek Director, echoed Kokura’s comment being this the first time he’s received a complaint about livestock at large.
He said none of the Valley’s rural areas currently have animal control officers.
“I suspect that the least expensive and probably most effective opportunity would be education for the people that are actually letting their animals roam,” McNabb said.
Francoeur finished her delegation to the board by stating that she hopes the ACRD will consider her request to make Port Alberni’s rural areas pound areas or have an officer appointed to the role of regulating livestock at large.
“I’ve had enough, it’s time to make changes,” she said.
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