Vancouver's monument to the 14 women killed by a man at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989, is being soiled by defecating Canadian geese.

That's according to Green commissioner Stuart Mackinnon, who has a motion on notice on the agenda for the Vancouver park board's meeting on Monday (September 14).

The motion's preamble notes that Marker of Change in Thornton Park, near Main Street–Science World Station, "exists to remember and honor women and girls who have been murdered, and to provide a permanent public space for activism against violence against women" and is the site of events marking the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

"Thornton Park was free of wildfowl until 2013, when a flock of Canadian geese that used to live beside the train station were displaced by the construction taking place in the area. As Thornton Park has no natural water source, the geese gather around the memorial to drink rain water that collects in the 'pools of tears' on each granite bench of the Marker of Change. The resulting mess from goose feces on the benches and surrounding site makes the monument inhospitable to anyone wanting to visit or sit on the benches," the preamble states.

Mackinnon's motion calls on the park board to ask staff to find an "effective, permanent solution" that works for both the monument and the "welfare of the geese".

The Green commish wants staff to report back before December 6, 2015, with a long-term plan.