Since 2000, Northern Bear Awareness Society (NBAS) has been diligently working to make the City and citizens of Prince George aware of human-bear conflict issues. In the past, we have presented City Council with science-backed ideas and plans to mitigate conflict, but to date have not seen progress. The same issues come up every year, and Prince George is now known as the bear-destroying capital of BC. We call on City Council to commit to a more proactive strategy by establishing a budget for Bear Smart practices, including supplying bear-resistant garbage bins to residents. 

Figure 1. Associated reasons for bear sighting reports to the Conservation Officer Service in the city of Prince George, BC, 2011-2017

Residential waste is consistently the top attractant for bears in Prince George (Figure 1).  Once a bear has access to garbage, the chances increase that it will be deemed a threat to public safety. Provincial guidelines do not allow for rehabilitation or relocation of such bears. We see many residents doing the best they can to minimize attractants on their properties, but it is not enough.  

Bear-resistant garbage bins have been used successfully in communities across North America and in other parts of the world, including in cold-climate communities, and they are a widely accepted and important solution to minimizing human-bear conflict.  

NBAS urges Prince George City Council to approve a system of bear-resistant garbage bins, and we are now beginning to lobby for this publicly. Prince George can be a Bear Smart community and successfully co-exist with wildlife. Please sign below to show your support.