Two weeks ago, the newly formed Humane Treatment of Urban Wildlife Committee requested that Kimberley City Council suspend their deer cull. The cull is being undertaken with a provincial permit which allows the cull of up to 100 mule deer within the City.

At City Council on Monday evening, Chair of the Health and Protection Committee Kent Goodwin said that the Operations Committee had expected to see a delegation at their meeting, at which the cull was deliberated, but with no one there, there wasn't much discussion.

"We decided to stay the course," Goodwin said. "The committee recommends that we continue the cull as planned."

Coun. Darryl Oakley, Council's representative on the Urban Deer Committee, said that an email from the Humane Treatment Committee Chair Colleen Bailey was received just prior to the Operations meeting saying that her group was still working on a report and hoped to present to a sub-committee of Council.

At present, the cull stands at 64 deer and Mayor Ron McRae says it will likely be done by the end of January.

"We need to be clear," McRae said. "We never made the decision to suspend the cull."

Oakley says the Urban Deer Committee is very focused on population management over time. He says community outreach is a huge piece of the work the committee will be doing.

"Part of that is don't feed the deer. It's a huge, huge problem and a big challenge for the committee," Oakley.

That committee is now headed up by Gary Glinz, a former manager with BC Parks. Oakley says the committee will be looking for additional members as they try to grapple with the many different aspects of living with an urban deer herd.

McRae says the longer the committee works the more they become aware of just how complex the deer issues.

"It's quite complex," he said. "We've had quite a bit of conversation on what happens when a deer population goes beyond the limits of its environment. I applaud the Deer Committee's commitment."

One of the next things the committee will be looking at, Oakley says, is understanding the carrying capacity of urban deer in Kimberley.

"How many animals can Kimberley support? This will be a very interesting discussion, facilitated by Irene Teske."

Teske is a provincial wildlife biologist who has been working with Kimberley's deer committee since its inception.

Oakley says he continues to speak with those who are having difficulty with the cull.

"I understand that this is incredibly difficult for many people," he said.