Grazing goats hired by MTO cause spectacle in Kitchener
Posted Aug 14, 2025 12:16:43 PM.
Last Updated Aug 15, 2025 06:19:47 AM.
It was quite the spectacle in a Kitchener neighbourhood when a landscaping team was brought in — and it was a herd of about 50 goats!
Ian Matthews is the owner of Goats in the City, which was hired by the Ministry of Transportation to clear brush and greenery in the Boniface Avenue area last week.
The MTO said it was part of a pilot project to manage vegetation and control invasive species in areas that are difficult to access.
Video and photos on social media showed the goats being released from a trailer, and then going to town on vegetation between the highway sound barrier and people’s backyards.
Matthews said they got a lot of attention from neighbours.
“The goats always outperform what people think they’re going to do,” Matthews told The Mike Farwell Show. “And when you condense 50 goats in a small spot, it really looks impressive.”
Matthews said he grew up around goats in Jamaica and while he became a mortage broker once he moved to Canada, his aging father helped reignite his passion for the animals.
“I started helping him out and then the bug bit,” Matthews explained. “I fell in love with them all over again, so I had to find a way to make a living from it, hence Goats in the City.”
He described the goats as “family” and said each one has a name and a personality.
“Goats are very much individuals,” Matthews joked.
Goats in the City operates as both a sanctuary and a business, which Matthews hopes to expand across Canada through franchises.
A post on the website says, “Our mission is to revolutionize urban conservation efforts by harnessing the power of goats as natural grazers. We believe that by strategically utilizing goats for targeted grazing, we can achieve a harmonious balance between urban development and the preservation of our natural environment.”
The City of Kitchener confirmed it was contacted by the province about the grazing goats because they needed to access city-owned property in order to get on the MTO-owned land.
“At this moment, the City of Kitchener does not have any current landscaping projects that will be utilizing this approach,” read an email statement.
The MTO said it will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the goats’ hard work to determine if they’ll hire them again for future projects.
