'Sexy' building will kill birds, conservationists fear

Fredericton's so-called "sexiest" new building will be a death trap for birds, conservationists say.

The architect's rendering shows the proposed $16 million building would have a mirrored glass facade.

But bird lovers are urging the builders to alter the design to spare their feathered friends.

• Fredericton's 'sexiest' building still in engineering and design phase

"They do need to take this very seriously and take some simple steps to mitigate that threat with their new construction," said Michael Mesure, executive director of FLAP Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing bird deaths.

It's kind of sad when you think these things travel thousands of kilometres to come and raise their young up here in Canada and they go back to South America for the winter and the whole trip will be stopped by a glass structure built by man.– Alain Clavette

According to FLAP, an estimated 30 million birds in Canada die each year because they collide with glass buildings.

The Fredericton building will add to that number unless something is done, Mesure said.

"The uninterrupted mirrored glass facade, reflecting the surrounding environment, added to the fact that in the proximity of that building is natural landscapes like the river, the parks, all the greenery, will increase the likelihood of strikes of that facility for sure," he said in an interview with CBC New Brunswick's Shift.

Ways to mitigate damage

Mesure said there are ways to mitigate the damage, such as incorporating visual markers on the glass specially designed to prevent birds from colliding with it.

Alain Clavette shares some of Mesure's concerns. Birder Alain Clavette said conservationists are not against development — many, in fact, agree the Fredericton building is "sexy" — but it needs to be done in a new way that protects birds.

"It's kind of sad when you think these things travel thousands of kilometres to come and raise their young up here in Canada and they go back to South America for the winter and the whole trip will be stopped by a glass structure built by man," he said.