There are lots of deer being spotted in the Resort Village of Candle Lake, which in turn may be attracting predators like coyotes and wolves. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Doug Lett

Candle Lake coyotes and wolves

Candle Lake cracks down on feeding wildlife

Jan 30, 2023 | 4:24 PM

A popular resort village has beefed up its animal control bylaw. Candle Lake wants to stop people from feeding wildlife.

Mayor Terry Kostyna says the main reason is more sightings of coyotes and wolves in the village, which covers 62 square kilometers in the boreal forest about an hour northeast of Prince Albert.

Kostyna said the problem may start with some people feeding deer. But that attracts more deer.

“Then what happens is predators start to move into town, predators being wolves, coyotes, in some cases, predatory cats….and it’s been brought to our attention by people in the community. So we felt we had to begin to do something to address it,” he said.

“The intent is to try and reduce the number of predators so when they’re (deer) so prolific that they’re almost a buffet for the predators, then this would be a way to mitigate that.”

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The changes to the bylaw were passed by Candle Lake’s council earlier in January. Feeding wildlife or leaving food or attractants for an animal outside on public or private property can net you a $1,000 fine. Songbirds can still be fed, provided certain conditions are met, such as using a proper bird feeder.

Kostyna said “an unusually large number” of coyotes have been spotted in Candle Lake in recent months, as well as sightings and evidence of wolves, such as deer carcasses getting dragged around.

In a statement, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment said there’s no indication coyote and wolf populations are going up. But people may notice them more in winter, because they travel on frozen waterbodies, and often form larger groups in winter.

“The ministry supports Candle Lake’s bylaw amendments as they align with existing provincial regulations, as well as the principle that supplemental feeding of wildlife should be discouraged,” said the statement.

Kostyna said deer are a common sight in Candle Lake.

“They’re all cute, and they’re really nice. And I can look out my window at any given part of the day, and the deer will be wandering by or down the street,” he said. “But when people do feed them there becomes an overabundance, and then predators move in like wolves.”

The village and the province are also asking people to make sure garbage and food are not left out. Kostyna said bears can also be part of the equation at certain times of the year.

“Bears are always an issue and people don’t like them on their decks or appearing at windows….that’s primarily a result of people leaving garbage and trash,” said Kostyna.

Last year the province approved new regulations to prohibit the feeding of wolves, bears, cougars and coyotes, as well as failure to manage attractants like garbage.

“When wild animals begin to associate food with humans, they can become a nuisance and a public safety concern,” said the statement.

Kostyna said the village is not trying to get rid of wildlife. They just want to make sure numbers don’t get out of hand.

“They’ll always be there. We live in the boreal forest,” he said.