Like many Canadian regions, Sidney Island has a deer problem. The small island, not far from Victoria, BC, is home to European Fallow deer, whose growing numbers are hurting the native vegetation and trees.

And though local hunters are able to take care of the problem, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) obtained documents that reveal the government-approved solution involved hiring foreign snipers from the US and New Zealand, armed with restricted rifles, and flying them in helicopters, to take shots at the deer. Phase one of the operation resulted in 84 deer killed at a cost of more than $800,000, which works out to about $10,000 per dead deer.

Eighteen of these ended up being the wrong type of deer, something that would be illegal if it were done by law-abiding hunters.

In contrast, local residents organized their own hunt last fall, killing 54 deer without any cost to taxpayers.

But this was just phase one. The CTF also obtained a detailed project budget that revealed plans by Parks Canada to spend $11.9 million for this effort.