Goats considered for dandelion control in Calgary

Dandelion control has been a hot topic in Calgary this year.

• Unconventional Panel debates dandelions and keeping Calgary presentable

• Dandelions, a growing problem in Calgary

Things heated upback in June, when council askedfor a report on how to manage the yellow flower which is taking overcityparks, green spaces and boulevards.

Because not only are dandelionsunsightly...they'redangerous. At least,according toWard 4Coun.Sean Chu.

"Dandelions I don't know if you've ever touched them or brokenthem, [but they] actually have lots of liquid in them. So kids playing in any field, it's dangerous. You can slip," Chu toldthe CalgaryEyeopenerlast month.

• Listen to Coun.Sean Chu's interview with the Calgary Eyeopener

Calgary Eyeopener5:47Dandelion control

Should the city spend nearly $2-million to curb dandelions in Calgary? We hear from Coun.Sean Chu in advance of today's council meeting.

The city is looking at alternatives to spraying or mowing invasive speciesand one idea that's being consideredisgoats.

"They would betargetingweeds, butI'm sure they wouldn't turn their nose up at a dandelion," saidChris Manderson, an Urban Conservation Lead at the City of Calgary.

Cities like Kamloopsare alreadyusing goats to graze away unwanted vegetationand Fort Saskatchewan has been using sheep to keep their grass trim since 1992.

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But there are manydetails that need to be ironed out before we could bringthefour-legged dandelion destroyers inside city limits.

"Obviously there arerules about keeping livestock in the city theyapply to parks just as much as they do to ahomeowner. Thenthere's logistics ... how do you get goats to work in the morning?It'salittlebit morecomplicatedinCalgarythan out in the country," said Manderson.

He and histeam will come back to council in about a year with a more fleshed-out proposal for the goats.

In the meantime, the city will use the$1.7million it approved on Monday to do some additional mowing around town next summer. The one-time funding injection will come out of afiscal stability reserve fund and not property taxes.