No harm, no fowl? Calgary woman wants to prevent goose egg removal from condo balcony

A Calgary woman is hoping to prevent a goose nest from being removed from her balcony at the hands of her condo board.

For five years, Lisa Maragh has coexisted with two unusual companions on the balcony of her condo: a pair of Canada geese.

They first arrived on the ledge of the downtown Calgary condo she owns with her husband on the 15th floor in the spring of 2017, and have returned like clockwork each year to set up their annual nest since 2021.

“It was a learning experience,” Maragh said of the geese’s first arrival. But as a self-proclaimed animal person, Maragh said there’s been lots to love about the polarizing creatures during their stay on her terrace.

“Geese mate for life,” Maragh said from her balcony on Friday, a soon-to-be mother goose relaxing on the ledge behind her. “They care about their goslings. They sit on their eggs for the entire time.”

“I just love that. It speaks about humanity.”

But that peaceful coexistence could be shattered after a new decision from her condo board to remove the birds’ eggs.

Earlier this month, the board of Maragh’s condo issued a notice saying they had obtained a federal permit to remove all goose nests from the building, as several large-scale construction projects require contractors to work on the building’s exterior.

“Canada geese are known to become highly protective and aggressive when guarding nests,” a letter from the Liberte EauClaire condo board said.

“Aggressive behaviour at this elevation presents a serious safety risk to workers operating equipment and performing tasks many stories above the ground.”

Canada geese are protected by Canada’s Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994, meaning the bird, its nest, eggs and habitat are legally protected and cannot be disturbed without a permit.

It’s not the first time the condo board removed goose eggs with a permit—a lawyer for the board said that it took similar action last year.

“The pair of Canada geese nesting in the common property have been a safety hazard for years for the staff and contractors at Liberte,” said Michael Kwaitkowski, a lawyer representing the Liberte EauClaire condo corporation.

He said “extremely aggressive behaviour” exhibited by geese during their nesting season resulted in the condo board removing the Canada geese nest in 2025 and again in 2026.

“The removal of the Canada Geese nest in 2025 was done by a certificated wildlife expert, with a valid Damage or Danger Permit from the Canadian Wildlife Services,” Kwaitkowski wrote.

“The same will be done in 2026, under permit.”

A statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada said the ministry regularly issues danger permits under the legislation for birds that are causing public safety concerns.

But for Maragh, the letter came as a surprise. She said she’s never had issues with the birds and has been able to coexist with them peacefully during nesting seasons for the last five years. She also said she’s unaware of any construction work going on near her balcony.

But most of all, Maragh is upset nobody from the condo board spoke with her about the decision to move the eggs ahead of time.

“It’s unfair,” she said with tears in her eyes. “No one is speaking with me, I’m the one that lives here.”

“We live here and we have to coexist,” Maragh said, adding the condo is right along the Bow River and there’s lots of intermixing between geese and people regardless.

Maragh has until April 17 to move the eggs herself. If she cannot obtain a federal permit to do so — or if construction work must begin before then — the condo board said it will move the eggs themselves.