As reported in Nanaimo News Now:
Deputy director of parks and natural areas Charlotte Davis said feral rabbits have taken over widespread public recreation areas, including but not limited to Beban Park, the Rotary Bowl, and Seruaxman Stadium, creating safety and operational issues.
“We’re having to divert labourers away from their duties maintaining turf fields and put them towards filling holes, and so that means that next year, we’ve got a larger challenge ahead of us because we haven’t had the same level of service on our fields, and therefore it is not sustainable to carry on in that way.”
Since May, around 40 hours a week has been dedicated by City staff to filling holes made for rabbit burrows on playing fields to avoid injury to field users.
While the focus of this report from the deputy director of parks is on a problem feral rabbits are causing, it raises some concern as to how this department is being managed.
According to Davis this means :
As of today (Dec 19, 2025):
If “since May” means May 1 → Dec 19:
233 days ≈ 33.29 weeks → 33.29 × 40 ≈ 1,331 staff-hours (about 1,330 hours)
Because “since May” can mean different start points, here are a couple other reasonable interpretations:
May 15 → Dec 19: ≈ 31.29 weeks → ~1,251 hours
June 1 (roughly “since May ended”) → Dec 19: exactly 29.00 weeks → 1,160 hours
So the claim implies roughly 1,150–1,330 total staff-hours, depending on what date in May the work began.
I don't know a lot about rabbit control, but I do know if you fill in one hole, they will simply dig another. which means unless you have a plan to kill the rabbits you are simply making sure the professional hole filler has a never ending job.
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City of Nanaimo — Public Works / Department of Perpetual Patching
Do you thrive in fast-paced environments where the work is never truly “done,” only… revisited? Do you possess the rare ability to stare into a void and say, “Yep, that’ll need more fill”? If so, the City of Nanaimo invites applications for the prestigious and highly career-forward role of:
WABBIT HOLE FILLER (RHF) — Permanent Full-Time
Union/Non-Union: Depends how deep the hole is
Hours: 40/week (plus “as required” when the hole reappears)
Salary: Competitive, with annual increases tied to the expanding definition of “temporary fix”
Benefits: Excellent (including dental, because you will grit yours a lot)
About the Role
The Wabbit Hole Filler is responsible for identifying, assessing, filling, re-filling, topping up, and re-re-filling municipal holes of unknown origin, depth, and mood.
This is not just a job. It’s a calling. A lifestyle. A noble civic tradition.
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