Beaver Gate Continues in Cornwall Ontario as City Refuses to Remove Conibear Kill Traps

CFN – You can tell Cornwall Ontario’s CAO is back.   In response to our first report on the Beaver Slaughter in The City of Cornwall’s Guindon Park.  LINK   The city did move the trap we showed in the video, but it was moved right next to the Beaver’s lodge.  It’s as though the city and now OPG’s goal is to eradicate beavers from Guindon Park.

I submitted a letter to council requesting a 90 day moratorium on trapping in Guindon park, and this too was not responded to.

Click the link to get CONTACT INFO for OPG

However several emails requests and phone calls  for information yielded this response from the City and OPG.

There’s no formal contract between the City and OPG for trapping, however trapping is seen as a necessary measure in order to maintain OPG’s monitoring and vegetation control programs at the dyke.  OPG have requested the City’s assistance with issues of beaver control and flooding.

Christine Lefebvre, Division Manager, Parks and Recreation,  City of Cornwall             Ted Gruetzner, Media Relations Manager ,OPG
 

This is where it starts to get fuzzy?    If this is a city park why is Ontario Power Generation having a voice in this issue?   And why are taxpayers on the hook, not to mention endangerment to the public and animal and wild life?

When I spoke on the phone with OPG they categorically denied any contractual obligation on the city’s part with OPG regarding trapping even going as far as to suggest minimal trapping was done on OPG lands.

A new development thanks to communication with the Raisin River Conservation Authority is that this form of trapping is also a danger to Snapping Turtles who while not endangered, are on a watch list as a turtle can take as many as 25 years to reach maturity and the ability to reproduce. 

Likewise I spoke with Dr. Brian Hickey of  The Lawrence River Institute who also talked about issues about wild life and trapping.  Oddly enough City Councilor Bernadette Clement is on the board of The SLRI and refused comment for this story.  Methinks that if  Councilor Clement refuses to champion the wild life in Guindon Park she should not be on the board of this Institute or any other related to Nature.

Video of Birds diving for fish in Guindon Park

Searching the net I found recent stories of dogs being caught in Conibear Beaver Traps.

LINK  Woman and Dog caught in Trap

“I just almost went berserk,” he said. “I’m a retired fire chief, I’ve seen lots of trauma, and there was nothing I ever saw that amounted to this.”

He was working on removing the dog’s leg from the trap when his daughter lifted up her own captured hand.

“Krystle was not concerned with herself, she was more concerned about the dog,” he said. “She was crying for the dog.”

The family said the Ontario ministry of natural resources is investigating the incident.

LINK  Second Dog Caught in Smiths Falls Traps

Stacey Cassell lost his dog Socks when he took her for a routine walk in a farmer’s field in Smiths Falls on New Year’s Eve. The 11-year-old Labrador Miska wandered off and got caught in a kill trap, chocking her to death.

“She went off a little bit. She was gone. When I went to go look for her, I found her in the trap,” Cassell recalled.

“We miss her terribly and we would do anything to have her back.”

Rebecca Sorrell of Cornwall Ontario has started a petition that has yielded over 400 signatures in less than a week.   LINK

Some of the comments from the Poll:

20:28, May 02, Mr. Dick Artley, ID
Is sadism the prerequsite for mayer and city council of Cornwall? Folks, the world watches you with disdain!

15:42, May 01, Ms. Fran Fulwiler, OR
Beavers are considered a keystone species because of the benefits they provide to all animals and plants in their environment. Humane trapping and relocation would be better than killing them, if removal is in fact necessary.

09:21, May 01, Ms. Carol C., MI
Is there a reason you can’t live trap them?? We lost a dog to a conibear, this isn’t necessary, please stop and live trap. Thank you, the animals will thank you too.

07:28, May 01, Ms. Elaine Hirst, United Kingdom
Although I live in the UK, I have been to this park and am appalled that you are even considering eradicating beavers!

05:25, May 01, Mrs. shelley boisvenue, ON
who was the fool behind this disgusting deed??? can’t you let nature be? we’re still the laughing stock of other cities because of our coyote/wolf killing spree last year!!! first you take away the rapids now nature….

17:01, Apr 30, Mrs. Nancy Leinweber, Australia
I grew up minutes from this park and visit it everything I’m home for a visit. It is a special place. Please keep it that way.

We will be updating the story as it continues.    When myself and another journalist visited the park recently there were no sights or sounds of beavers.  It may actually be too late for family of beavers that were living in this home to hundreds of species of birds and wild life.

With nearly 1,000 comments on facebook and the petition Council is intent on digging its heels in and countering the mass majority of public opinion.

You can post your comments below and to reach Cornwall Ontario City Council you can click this LINK to find the individually or address your emails to councillors@cornwall.ca.  To contact OPG click the banner above.

15 Comments

  1. Do you suppose the city and OPG would be this obstinate if the Standard Freeloader would have broken this story? But then again the Freeholder would never print anything that would embarrass the city.

  2. You are right Reg. They wouldn’t print anything embarrassing to the City of Cornwall because they might lose those advertising dollars. I’m so glad that the Cornwall Free News has character and integrity.

  3. All it takes for evil to triumph is for enough good people to do nothing…this community is sleeping at the wheel because it just lets things happen and acts totally innocent, as if it had nothing to do with them that these creatures have now died leaving their pups no doubt to starve to death. The sight of this turtle is excrutiating, how can we look at ourselves in the face or sleep at night knowing that greedy behaviour and oppressive practises are destroying the habitats and homes of so many innocent species. Do you want everything to be paved, how hot does it have to get, how crazy do the temperature shifts have to be before people wake up and say enough is enough! We have had enough destruction and we are going to take charge of how things are run by going to the City and showing up at their meetings and calling them to account. Only then will things change! Get some answers people- no is not an answer!

  4. Unfortunately there are no natural contols left on beaver populations, and they have occupied all the space that is available to them, since the price of furs fell to where it’s no longer worth-while to trap them commercially. Either man steps in and manages the population artificially by trapping, shooting, or poisoning or leave them alone and they’ll eventually destroy their own food supply and starve to death or die of population stress releated disease. As distasteful as that sounds to an animal love like myself, that’s the reality in the natural world. We’ve destoyed the natural balance. In a city the situation is even worse. Traps are also one of the many reasons why both dogs and cats, domestic animals, should never be allowed to run loose, especially on someone else’s property, where a farmer has every right by law to shoot them if they attack or harass livestock. They also kill wildlife. Dogs will run a deer till it drops (dies) of exhaustion, and domestic cats are the biggest killers of songbirds around the world. Yes, the city of Cornwall could put beaver cones over culverts to prevent unwanted flooding, but eventually surplus beavers have to be removed because they have no place else to go especially in the city. Live trapping is not practical. Where would you take them where there are not already beavers. It’s not pleasant, but that’s the reality in what’s left of the natural world. Without predators of some kind all species of wildlife will eat themselves out of house and home, and die off of starvation or diseases until their environment recovers. Sad to say, but that’s what rabies is all about. Wildlife management is not always a pleasant profession. Coyotes, if they had been left alone, might have helped solve the problem.

  5. There’s no valid concern I can think of for OPG in this matter. It’s a question for MNR and/or the Conservation Authority to advise on. No-one else has any wildlife management experts on staff, in this area. After the most recent government cuts, there aren’t many left anywhere. Non-professionals can only create more problems.

  6. City Hall “refuses” to solve this issue? Cornwall’s new slogan: City with a world of impossibilities.

  7. The problem with removing beavers by trapping, or any other method, is that studies show this stimulates surviving area females to reproduce at a younger age and to have larger litters. Beavers can migrate tens of miles and good habitats rarely stay empty for more than a year or two.
    More than most wild species, beavers have natural population control because they guard large streamside territories from unrelated beavers and the young leave at two years of age. Litter size is related to the amount of territory available, and trapped populations produce larger litters ( Wild Furbearer Management and Conservation by the Ontario Trappers Association.)

  8. A very famous quote that someone put here which is all too true is: “All it takes for evil to triumph is for enough good people to do nothing.” and that is for everything in life. You would never believe what the global elites are doing to all of us and you won’t know until it is way too late to turn back. I help bring out what is happening in Guindon Park and the park is a natural area and not part of a habitat where people are living. It is a very beautiful area to go and relax and the people don’t appreciate the beauty of nature. Animals of all kinds come and go on their own and for people to kill them off is something of “evil” and what people don’t know is that the global elite have the same thing planned for the rest of us. If people don’t stand up and do something for what they believe in then nothing good will come about anything but the worst kind of evil. Protect nature and its beauty. You are lucky to have beautiful parks and the nature around it. Can you imagine if one of your children, yourselves or your pets get trapped in these traps. My God if any of you are that hungry go to the food bank. I was literally disgusted watching a beaver being skilled. Bush Indians are known for this kind of a thing and this isn’t done in the cities and parks. Queen Clement is another boondoggle for the town. God help everyone.

  9. “People parish for the lack of knowledge” and this is all very true indeed. People you need to get out of the matrix and start learning things in life. The more that you depend and follow those losers running things then you will fall in their traps – the traps of life including the ones in the park for the beavers. You need to educate yourselves before it is too late. People who do harm to others will have the harm come back to them in return.

  10. This city to which I have returned after an absence of over 40 years has continued in its tradition of destroying every thing worth protecting. It has managed to destroy priceless historic relics like the windmill which stood near Easton & St-Felix Streets. It has also destroyed the old post office, replacing it by the most ugly building in the city at the intersection of 2 of it’s most used streets. It is in the process of deciding to destroy one of the last natural wildlife area along the waterfront, namely the area stretching from Lamoureux Park west to the Power dam. Truly I have come to the conclusion that the elected councillors are useless to act upon anything except to protect their own council seat.

  11. Trapping is cruelty we can stop. Our organization, Assoc. for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals is happy to support your efforts. Please let us know how we can help: http://www.furbearerdefenders.com

  12. Author

    Morning Lesley. Is your group going to do anything to help save the beavers in this nature park? It looks like the current family has been all but wiped out. More beavers will migrate. Will Furbearerdefenders step up to the plate or allow another family to get wiped out?

  13. Have we had any input from the SPCA? Maybe what the City is doing is illegal or against the law.

  14. Look at the crazy ideas of wanting to put up condos in Lamoureux Park or any park for that matter. The stupid mayor has lost his marbles (whatever is left of them) and council is useless and the only one who tells the truth and tries to stand up is André Rivette and the rest are the most useless bunch on the planet and only there to get a pay check. There sure is one there who earns more than anyone except for the PM Fritzy. This is completely rediculous and abuses everything in sight. People don’t appreciate the beautiful nature and you won’t know that until it is gone. The more you overbuild you destroy everything. I agree with the man Fern that when he went back to Cornwall to see the destruction and more to come under this present administration. When we go to Cornwall every so many months we don’t see anyone around – so empty – worse than the 30’s depression. You don’t attract business by overbuilding – if companies want to settle there it will be their own decision and has nothing to do with the buildings. Many people love nature and so beautiful and relaxing. I like what Cornwall used to look like and like only a few things that have imporved but I have to say that Lamoureux Park became worse. There used to be nice places to sit but no more like before. There used to be trees to sit under at the top of the hill but no more. It is very noisy, overbuilt and no longer much quiet and a shady place to sit under. All is taken away. I do see problems coming on the horizon.

  15. I too walk my dog in this area and not sure if anyone has noticed the large earth dyke that extends a kilometre or so from the generating station along the shore of this park, which holds the river back and keeps Cornwall dry and above river level?
    `
    I did a little research and the road that runs at the base of this earthen dyke (dam) through the back of the park is an access/ inspection road. Inspections would be hampered if this road was flooded and standing water created by a beaver dam will erode the bottom of this dyke and over time lead to dam failure. I am sure if you looked at an inundation map you will find very few areas in the city of Cornwall would be dry and survive.
    ~
    So go ahead and cry for the beaver……..one of the most destructive creatures in nature…..forget about the animal habitat and forest that is lost when beavers flood large areas or the erosion of the dam and vilify OPG and City of Cornwall for taking action to keep you all alive and dry.
    `
    If you want to see the destructive power of a dam breach and just how fast it happens just search youtube there a few examples

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