Upperhill News

A 20-year-old Winnipeg woman has been fined $300 for throwing things at a Canada goose that got in her way when she tried to get into her friend’s apartment.

Canada geese are protected by federal law, which makes harassing them an offence.

The woman was caught on camera while throwing a bottle of leather cleaner and a pylon at the goose to chase it off its nest.

She pleaded guilty under federal legislation known as the Migratory Birds Convention Act.

The woman also explained to the provincial court judge that she was only trying to scare the goose away, disclosing that she was unaware that the bird was protected by Federal law.

The investigation into the Winnipeg case started when an environment officer got a call on May 8, 2024, about a woman harassing a nesting goose a day earlier near a Henderson Highway apartment building, court heard last month.

The officer checked the information of the vehicle that was at the scene and contacted the owner, who said his daughter was driving that day.

The daughter admitted to authorities to harassing the goose, but said she wasn’t in the right headspace because she’d recently learned she was pregnant.

While the ticket listed a penalty of $730, a judge agreed to lower the amount.

A Federal Crown attorney, Joan Schmidt, argued on the ground that the circumstances, deserved a lower fine which would still “drive home the message that, as frustrating as geese can sometimes be — because they can be aggressive, especially when they’re nesting — they are protected in Canada and you just have to work around them.”

Shroff said she thinks these kinds of cases boil down to human entitlement and lack of education about the law.

“Anytime people see wildlife, they sort of think, ‘Well, I was here first. I’m going to do something about this. This animal is in my way and I’m going to take action,’” Shroff said.