TTC to employ sound cannons to keep problematic seagulls away starting this month

The TTC says it will begin using sound cannons to scare away the growing number of seagulls that have decided to call its Leslie Barns facility home.

The transit agency says the cannons don’t actually fire ammunition but emit a loud sound that they hope will encourage the problematic birds to relocate.

The TTC says the seagull population has been increasing since the building and its green roof opened in 2015 and that’s creating a problem for workers and the birds.

“Each year, the TTC estimates that 10,000 to 15,000 seagulls visit Leslie Barns, resulting in unsanitary and disruptive working conditions for TTC employees,” they said in a release. “The high roof location also creates difficult living conditions for seagull chicks who are desperate for food and water and not yet capable of flight.”

Starting later this month until the end of June, residents of the Leslieville neighbourhood adjacent to the streetcar maintenance and storage facility at the southeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard may hear what sounds like a single firework as many as four times a day during the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Within the building, the sound will be more noticeable and similar to the volume of a jackhammer or an oncoming ambulance.

The cannons won’t be used if there are no birds present.

“The TTC has worked with a biologist and noise consultant to ensure the sound cannons are used safely, effectively and within Provincial limits. No seagulls will be harmed in this process,” the TTC says.

The TTC says it turned to using the cannons after many other mitigation techniques were tried to prevent the birds from nesting on and around the roof, including using wires to make it more challenging for the birds to fly onto the roof, covering the roof with plastic to try and deter them from landing, and even activating green roof sprinklers.