New Brunswick pilot project serves deer for dinner
A new pilot program in southwestern New Brunswick is taking aim at the overpopulation of deer in the St. Andrews area and food insecurity amongst low-income families in the region at the same time.
The province has announced that through the new project, up to 450 kilograms of deer meat, which translates into roughly 20 animals, from the annual nuisance hunt will be processed and distributed to those in need through a local food bank.
St. Andrews mayor Brad Henderson says that it’s a program that has been in the works now for more than two years, and that all of the elements have been ‘well weighed out’ in order to help make this a reality.
“Unfortunately [St. Andrews] continues to be overpopulated. A normal community of our size has three to five deer per square kilometre and we’re seeing numbers of over 22 per square kilometre,” says Henderson.
“[The program] is going to go a long way to some families in need in this area over the winter.”
Hunters have already been selected for this pilot project, and Henderson says they are hunters who have participated in the town’s nuisance hunt in the past.
“The first thing they had to do was have an online meeting, where various government officials took them through safety regulations making sure everything was done properly,” says Henderson.
The St. Stephen Food Bank will be receiving the product and a butcher has been selected to process the meat.
Donna Linton, who is the coordinator for the volunteer centre of Charlotte County says that they are seeing an increased demand for their services.
Linton also says one of the challenges at the food bank is getting enough protein for families in need.
“We’re hoping for hundreds and hundreds of pounds of deer meat this season,” says Linton.
“We’re actually recruiting families at this point. We’re looking for families with experience with venison or deer meat, and we’re hoping to find some families that may be a little food insecure that aren’t traditional food bank families – these would be your families living paycheck-to-paycheck.”
For those who are interested they can call the Volunteer Centre of Charlotte County at (506) 466-4995 on Monday to Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.