Vancouver's North Shore has seen a devastating season of needless murder of Black Bears. So far in 2020, two bears have been killed in West Vancouver and three in North Vancouver.

North Shore Black Bear Society (a non-for-profit) has been conducting community outreach and awareness since 1999. We as humans have encroached on the territory of wildlife and are failing in our basic responsibilities for reducing attractants that teach a bear to forage in our garbage. There is zero excuse for the endangerment of the Black Bears we share this community with. After all, we moved into their home.

We are calling on the District of North Vancouver to immediately increase the minimum fine for contravention of the District’s Solid Waste Removal Bylaw from $100.00 to $500.00 with a zero tolerance policy. This means eliminating the first warning practice currently in place. There is ample public education to support this motion.

Secondly, we are calling on the Provincial Government and Premier John Horgan to implement an immediate change to the oversight of the BCCOS (British Colombia Conservation Office Service) as previously recommended by The Environmental Law Center Report entitled "Reform Proposals for Managing Human-Wildlife Conflict in British Columbia. (author; Kelly Firth, dated March 2019)

Full report Link: https://www.raincoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Managing-Human-Wildlife-Conflict-in-BC_Mar2019.pdf

As noted in the recommendations (page 5).

First, the provincial government should improve its internal policies for handling human-wildlife conflict to reflect a more restrained approach to using lethal force and a better understanding of the science of wildlife behaviour. Ideally, Cabinet would pass a regulation incorporating these guidelines in order to make them legally enforceable.

Second, the province should introduce independent oversight of the BCCOS.

Since 2011 the BCCOS has reported killing 3,314 black bears, 103 grizzly bears, and 590 cougars (*Conservation Officer Service Predator Conflicts & Statistics (data up to September 2017):

"Given the amount of public criticism of BC conservation officers’ decisions to kill wildlife in recent years, a thorough review of BCCOS policies and operations is overdue. The province should review and amend procedures for responding to human-wildlife conflict to ensure officers use lethal force as conservatively as possible. Furthermore, instituting independent oversight of the BCCOS must be an immediate priority." Source: The Environmental Law Center Report entitled "Reform Proposals for Managing Human-Wildlife Conflict in British Columbia. (author; Kelly Firth, dated March 2019 *pg 21, paragraph 2).

Residents attest that Plum was not an aggressive bear and that she died needlessly.

This must change!

More actions you can take:

1) Write Mayor and council District of North Vancouver at council@dnv.org 

2) Write your MLA Jane Thornthwaite at jane.thornthwaite.MLA@leg.bc.ca

3) Write Premier John Horgan at
premier@gov.bc.ca

4) Email BC Minister of Environment George Heyman ENV.minister@gov.bc.ca

5) DONATE to North Shore Black Bear Society at https://northshorebears.com/home