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.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) children’s benefits provide monthly payments to the dependent children of disabled or deceased parent(s) who were CPP contributors.


This payment, which is for children under 25 years old also includes the child or children of the person receiving a CPP disability benefit or a post-retirement disability benefit, as well as for a child/children of the deceased contributor.

For the benefit to be paid, the deceased contributor must have made sufficient contributions to the CPP, while a child can be paid a maximum of two children’s benefits.


The expected benefiary under 25 must be in full-time or part-time attendance at a recognized school or university, just as the child should statutorily be the natural child of the contributor or adopted legally.

The monthly children’s benefit is based on a flat rate that is adjusted annually while those within the benefiting age brackets but in part-time attendance at a recognized school or university receive half of the flat rate.

Expectedly, dependent children, or their parent or guardian, should complete an application in the event that a parent or guardian has applied for a disability benefit of which you do not have to wait for the benefit to be approved before applying; or a child begins living with a parent or guardian who receives a disability benefit
a parent or guardian dies.

It is best to apply without delay to avoid losing the benefits, noting that the Canada Pension Plan can only make back payments for up to 12 months (11 months plus the month you apply).

However, children under age 25 who are living on their own and capable of managing their own affairs may complete their own application.