Fox feeding policy a provincial matter, says city

A province-wide ban on feeding wild foxes may be called for by the City of Charlottetown.

The city gets at least one call per week from a resident complaining about people feeding foxes, said Coun. David MacDonald, chairman of the protective and emergency services committee.

It's unsafe for pets to have foxes coming near houses and it's not good for the foxes either, he said.

But creating such a policy is more of a provincial issue, he said.

"Quite frankly, it's not something we can really deal with. It's an issue that goes beyond what the police department does and it's really more a fish and a game thing, you know, wildlife protection," said MacDonald.

"So we're going to talk to the province and see whether or not, between us and the province, we can implement something that maybe has the same kind of impact of what they do in the national parks."

Fines start at $250 for feeding foxes in the national parks and a similar fine could work in the rest of the province as well, MacDonald said.