The cause of the deer slaughter in Longueuil is heard

The fate of the Longueuil deer could well be played out on Wednesday before the Superior Court of Quebec, which must study the possibility of granting a reprieve to their slaughter.

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This is what Mr.^e Anne-France Goldwater, who wishes to prevent the City of Longueuil from carrying out their felling, until the case is heard on the merits, next December 9.

“Animals in a natural environment know how to defend themselves and how to hide. But the situation is different for animals that manage to coexist with us in urban environments,” she explained during a press scrum near the courthouse.

Last July, the City of Longueuil indicated that it would proceed with the slaughter of deer in Michel-Chartrand Park in order to solve the problem of their overpopulation, by carrying out a crossbow hunt.

In August, the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFPP) granted him the necessary permits so that the operation could take place in the fall. However, the proceedings are on hold due to legal proceedings.

« Does anyone watch the Walking Dead show? » exclaimed Me Goldwater, during her plea, to illustrate the cruelty, in her eyes, of crossbow hunting.

According to the City, more than a hundred deer are present in Michel-Chartrand Park. A number that would be up 50% compared to last year, and this when the park’s ecosystem could only support about a dozen.

M^e Goldwater is instead calling for the deer to be captured and then relocated to a location where they are under-populated.

For his part, M.^e Jean-Pierre Baldassare, who represents the City of Laval, argued that since 2020 activists have been unable to obtain a permit from the MFPP to use this method.

« That decision [de chasse contrôlée] cannot be taken in the blink of an eye,” he stressed.

Oral arguments will continue in the afternoon.