PEICharlottetown has enlisted sheep to cut grass in an eco-friendly way for a newly-launched mobile grazing pilot project.City says pilot grazing project aims to cut emissionsThinh Nguyen · CBC News · Posted: Oct 06, 2025 5:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoOn Sunday, temporary electric fencing was set up to guide the sheep into designated zones and keep them safe while grazing. (CBC)Charlottetown residents had a chance to meet a new grass-cutting crew over the weekend — and they were a little woollier than the average municipal worker.On Sunday, people gathered at the Elmer “Homer” MacFadyen Memorial Recreational Complex for a pilot demonstration of sheep grazing as a natural alternative to traditional lawn maintenance.Kristen Gore, acting climate action officer with the city, said the initiative stems from Charlottetown’s climate action plan, which aims to reduce emissions linked to lawn care by investing in electric equipment as well as natural solutions, like mobile sheep grazing.”We also saw a number of municipalities doing this across Canada. It’s something that municipalities are trying as kind of an innovative or newer method for difficult-to-maintain areas and natural spaces,” Gore told CBC News.”We also saw the work that was happening with the Summerside solar bank and the sheep were being used to maintain that area as well.”WATCH | Meet Charlottetown’s new grass-cutting crew: grazing sheepMeet Charlottetown’s new grass-cutting crew: grazing sheepThe city has launched a new mobile grazing pilot project that uses woolly workers to maintain lawns, as the P.E.I. municipality turns to sheep for a greener approach to mowing.’They’re fun to watch’On Sunday, temporary electric fencing was set up to guide the sheep into designated zones and keep them safe while grazing.Spectators had a separate viewing area marked with signage, allowing them to watch from a safe distance.”I would say the most challenging part can just be the logistics in general, the idea of finding a location that’s suitable for the electric fencing and getting the sheep brought in and out,” Gore said.”But our partner that we’re working with has been fantastic and made the process very simple and easy.”Kristen Gore said the initiative stems from the city’s climate action plan, aiming to reduce emissions by investing in natural solutions like mobile sheep grazing. (CBC)That partner is Quality Sheep, operated by Darryl Stoltz, who supplied the animals.”Our sheep, they’re easy to move around with our portable fencing. And I think the people that observe the sheep, they find them therapeutic. They’re fun to watch,” he said.”When you’re walking your dog, you’re just going for a walk, it’s nice to see sheep grazing on a slope like this and chewing their cud.”Looking ahead, Gore said once this pilot wraps up, the city will look for other sites that could benefit from this type of alternative maintenance.She noted that sheep — and possibly goats — could also be used to help control invasive species in other hard-to-maintain natural spaces across the city.With files from Robert LeClair
Charlottetown’s newest lawn crew? A flock of grazing sheep
