ManitobaFloors caked in pigeon poop are a normal sight at a Winnipeg transit hub, users say. But a pest control expert says kicking the birds out won’t be an easy job.Councillor says city has made several attempts to address pigeon problem, but solution remains elusiveArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Sep 18, 2025 7:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoFinding a clean place to sit waa a challenge in the Osborne rapid transit station on Thursday, thanks to an abundance of bird droppings. The City of Winnipeg said it’s working on a long-term solution to the station’s pigeon problem. (Mike Arsenault/CBC)Nyasha Ward says while some people say a bird pooping on you is good luck, that’s not how she felt when it happened to her after getting off a bus at a Winnipeg transit hub.”It’s gross,” she said. “It stains on your clothes. So you don’t want that.”Floors caked in pigeon poop are a normal sight at the Osborne rapid transit station, users say. But a pest control expert says kicking the birds out won’t be an easy job.Dozens of the birds were perched on the rafters of the station Thursday, with seats and railings covered in their droppings.Ward said regular transit riders like her have grown used to it and the rest of the mess caused by the birds, often seeing things like the remains of dead birds “squished up by the bus.””It’s disgusting for sure, and you don’t want to get pooped at,” she said. “I know people are sick of it. Plus they’re used to it at the same time.”Nyasha Ward says pigeons have the Osborne rapid transit station in a condition she describes as ‘disgusting.’ (Mike Arsenault/CBC)Matthew Stokman said the current state of the building is unsettling.”I looked up when I walked in, I said ‘Oh my gosh,'” he said. “They’re hanging out in here, you know. They like to find a place that’s inside away from the rain, I guess. But it’s a little bit of a mess for sure.”Matthew Stokman says he was surprised when he looked up and saw all the pigeons in the rafters of the Osborne rapid transit station. (Mike Arsenault/CBC)The City of Winnipeg said it’s working on a long-term solution to the station’s pigeon problem.”They like it, I guess. I don’t know how a bird thinks,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the city’s public works committee. “But … we’ve taken a lot of measures to combat the pigeons.”Pigeon feces, feathers and sometimes dead birds can be found underfoot at the Osborne rapid transit station. (Mike Arsenault/CBC)Lukes said the city has tried to deter the birds from roosting there by installing netting, spikes and reflective spinners. She said crews also pressure-wash and clean the station every Thursday.”We need to do it more often, in my opinion,” during migratory season in the fall, Lukes said. “I take the bus, I see it.… It’s horrible. It drives me nuts.”Lincoln Poulin of Poulin’s Pest Control said the design of the building itself naturally attracts the birds.Dozens of the birds were perched on the rafters of the Osborne rapid transit station Thursday. (Mike Arsenault/CBC)”Sites like this that are open at both ends and you can’t block the pigeons out, in the winter months the birds are going to be attracted ’cause there’s going to be no wind movement here,” Poulin said. “It is a design that is going to need a lot of work to get under control.”Poulin has been working in pest control for almost three decades. He said installing bird spikes would solve most of the problem, but reaching all the areas were the pigeons roost will be challenging.”If you don’t get rid of the nesting sites then you’ll have them reproducing and you’re dealing with five or six birds instead of two birds,” he said.Pigeon poop’s a problem at Osborne rapid transit stationEvery surface at the Osborne rapid transit station is covered in pigeon poop — a long-standing problem the City of Winnipeg can’t seem to keep clean. Crews have installed several deterrents over the years, but officials say nothing’s working.With files from Mike Arsenault
Pigeon poop brings no luck for Winnipeg bus riders sick of birds roosting at Osborne station
