In Burnaby, a home is no place for homing pigeons.
To make that point very clear, the City of Burnaby has filed a civil petition in the Supreme Court of British Columbia to have the owners of a residence on 11th Avenue get rid of their pigeons.
The respondents – Sergio Batista and Maggie Falcos – have yet to respond to the paperwork filed this week.
Dana Russell, the lawyer hired by the City of Burnaby for the case of the bylaw offending birds, said the pigeon problem is rare.
“This is the first pigeon one I’ve had on my desk and I’ve been doing this for quite some time,” she said of the legal proceedings. She said bylaw officials tried to deal with the couple, but the pigeons are still at the residence.
“The municipality did try to use other remedies,” she said.
Among the biggest complaint from neighbours was the droppings from the pigeons. According to the claim the city filed, the homing pigeons are housed in a shed on the property.
The problem goes back to June of 2009, when complaints were first directed at the bylaw department.
City of Burnaby solicitor Bruce Rose said the costly court proceedings are the last resort.
“Under our zoning bylaws you can’t keep pigeons in single-family residential zoning,” he said.
The city wants a court injunction to force the removal of the birds.
As well, they want a court-ordered inspection to check if the homing pigeons come back.
The owners were unavailable for comment.
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