Feeding these forest critters is not against the law. Council going along with a recommendation from City Staff that putting in a bylaw to make feeding deer an offense would be impractical.
Councillor Shirley McAlary says when you implement a bylaw, you have to be able to enforce it, and in this case, they wouldn't be able to.
Councillor Bill Farren expressed some reservations, saying Saint John, like outlying areas, is becoming overrun by deer, and his concerns lie in the health issues. He says many people will stop if you have a by-law in place.
Councillor Donna Reardon says she'd like to see council try to get the message out that it's not a good idea to feed the deer, even though they can't police it.