Regional District of Nanaimo continues to fund Parksville's Canada goose control program
Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026
By Michael Briones
The City of Parksville continues to manage the Canada geese that frequent the region.
The non-migratory geese are not native to Vancouver Island. They were introduced from Eastern Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, they have overgrazed sensitive estuarine marshes, particularly in the Englishman River and Little Qualicum River estuaries and have displaced native waterfowl from traditional nesting areas.
Parksville's Goose Management Program is delivered by Guardians of our Salish Estuaries (GooSe), which works to reduce the impacts of non-migratory Canada geese on local estuaries.
Since 2019, the Regional District of Nanaimo supported the program by allocating funds to the initiative. It contributes $20,000 annually and it is included in the RDN's 2026-2030 financial plan.
A 2025 report was presented at the RDN's Committee of the Whole meeting on July 21 and was also included in the RDN board's special meeting agenda on July 28.
According to GooSE's 2025 monitoring report, biologists counted 384 geese during the annual moult survey, with the largest concentrations observed in Nanoose Bay, Englishman River and Little Qualicum Estuaries.
The program also includes egg addling, a method used to prevent eggs from hatching. Officials say the long-term approach is intended to gradually reduce local goose populations by limiting reproduction and discouraging birds from returning to breed in the same areas.
From Victoria to Fanny Bay, a total of 1,221 eggs were addled from 222 nests in 2025. There were 19 nests found in the Englishman estuary and 115 eggs were addled. In the Little Qualicum River estuary, there were only eight active nests, which is a record low in 2025. A total of 46 eggs were addled. While in the Nanoose Bay Estuary, three nests were located and eight eggs were addled.
Area F (Coombs, Hilliers, Errington, Whiskey Creek, Meadowood) director Leanne Salter supports addling as a way to control the geese population in the region.
"I think this is the best way to do it," said Salter.
The RDN board voted to receive the report for information.
