Goose Crossing The Runners Lane

If you’ve walked through the intersection of Yukon and 6th Avenue in Mount Pleasant you’ve likely come across the neighbourhood celebrity: Grey the Canada goose.

Last year the Vancouver Courier interviewed Keith Wolfman, former co-owner of the business 3 Vets which used to be on the northwest corner of the intersection. He said that geese have frequented their parking lot since the late 1960s when he and his brother first started working at the family-owned store.

The current goose wanders the parking lot and adjacent sidewalks looking for food and watching traffic while his mate tends to the nest atop a nearby building.

Like any goose you’ll meet he’s not the friendliest sort, hissing at most people as they go about their business crossing the street, which he is often standing in the middle of. He’ll happily take the food you give him but don’t try to make friends or try to pet him; he’s definitely not interested.

Over the years, development and densification in the neighbourhood have disrupted nesting habits of geese, leaving this parking lot as one of the few safe, wide-open spaces for this guy.

Years ago 3 Vets’ staff named the pair Grey and Goose as they are grey-coloured geese (and the employees enjoyed Grey Goose vodka after hours). Walk by and you’ll also hear him referred to as Goosey, Angry Bird, and That Asshole Goose Near Best Buy.