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A Bathurst man is urging New Brunswickers to keep an eye out for wildlife on provincial highways, even where wildlife fencing is installed
In late November, Bob Comeau and his son were driving on Route 8 between Bathurst and Miramichi when they struck a deer near Bartibog.
Comeau said the collision happened on a stretch of highway with wildlife fencing, but there was an opening in the fence because of wildfires in the area over the summer, and it was never fixed.
“There were two gentlemen that have a camp in that area [who] said they reported this a couple of times before,” said Comeau.
“Also while we’re there, another deer come out and almost got struck behind us.”
Growing problem
Problems with wildlife fencing were brought up in a report earlier this month by Auditor General Paul Martin.
According to the report, repairs on highways maintained by the province should be done “as soon as possible,” and within 20 days on highways maintained by public-private partnerships.
Of the 29 needed fence repairs, only five were ever done, and none were done within 20 days.
That wasn’t the first time in recent weeks that problems with highway fencing have caused trouble for motorists.
Earlier this month, a woman was seriously injured when the car she was in collided with a moose on Route 7 to Saint John.
Chuck Chiasson, the minister of transportation and infrastructure, said that in the Route 7 case, the problem was a section of wildlife fencing that was damaged in a previous accident.
“We don’t fix that in house,” Chiasson said. “We have to get a contractor out to fix that fence and it was scheduled to be fixed the following week.”
As for Comeau’s crash, Chiasson said it was the first time he’d heard about damage to that section of fencing.
“I find it concerning,” he said. “And it’s certainly something that I’m going to look into to find out [what] reason that fence has not been put back up.”
Costly crash
Luckily for Comeau, the repercussions of the crash were more financial than physical.
He and his son were not injured, but the front end of their car was.
“All the front end of the car is damaged — fenders, hood, grill, headlights,” Comeau said.
“It’s $18,000 in the repair shop right now. … I’m hoping to get it back before Christmas.”
Comeau thinks the province should do regular inspections of the wildlife fencing on New Brunswick highways to make sure it is in good shape.
But he also thinks drivers should keep a sharp eye on the road.
“The main thing is do not let your guard down in any of the fenced areas and keep your eyes open,” Comeau said.