P.G. Works to be Bear Smart
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 @ 9:33 AM
Prince George, B.C. – The Bear Awareness Society is working towards making Prince George a Bear Smart Community, in an effort to reduce the bear-human conflicts which most often lead to the death of the bear.
With Prince George set in prime bear habitat, there are plenty of wildlife corridors for animals to use to reach their food sources.
Last year, there were 480 calls about black bears, and 12 black bears were destroyed. That is down considerably from 2010 which saw 1861 calls, and 88 bears being put down, including one grizzly bear.
There are three documents which must be completed before Prince George can be designated a bear smart community. Each document ( phase) costs $10 thousand dollars. The first two phases were done “in kind” by a dedicated bear biologist, the
third was paid for by the members of Northern Bear Awareness Society through sourcing out funding grants.
Last year, the City Council approved a report that promised the City would enact new bylaws and work with Bear Awareness. Last night, a bylaw that would reflect that promise was passed by Council that makes an ammendment to the garbage collection regulations. That change would make it an offence if a garbage can is put out before 4 a.m. on a garbage collection day.
Comments
First thing they should do is have the city cut down all their apple trees. Unless they are going to hire some city staff to pick the apples maybe they should start there.
Just another bylaw. geesh. Who will enforce it? AND, being a town with a lot of shift workers, that doesn’t work well for them.
I have an apple tree in my back yard but have yet to see a bear in our city. Saw some do-do in the Gintrer Meadow once but thats my bear expeirence. They are so cute..
Have been watching Canadian Parks on Knowledge Network and it seems there is an abundance of bears in our parks. So we destroy a few each year but appears there are more where these come from.
Be nice if we were more concerned about those that are hungry and homeless rather then bears, our cats and dogs.
Cheers
I don’t see how this bylaw will help deter a single bear. I doubt the bears care if my garbage can is at the end of my driveway, or 40 feet away beside my house. I have never seen a bear in my neighborhood, but I see lots of garbage cans parked beside the houses, in areas that bears can easily access. At least at the end of the driveway any bears can be easily seen. They are a bit less visible up between the houses. If you want to deter bears from the garbage cans, devise a lock for the cans.
Another useless bylaw, IMHO
I would like to see moose/human conflict information.
How are they going to enforce a bylaw like that when they don’t have any bylaw enforcement officers on duty between 4:30 PM and 8 AM? There are many, many, bylaws completely unenforced after 4:30 PM. If a person does report something, you get, sorry but they don’t have anybody on duty at that time.
Lots of people leave for work before 4am and will be putting their garbage out accordingly. The bylaw services department in PG are a farce.
Hello city hall knock knock anyone home. Sherry you in there somewhere. Bylaw services any lights on.
Here is just one example of a poorly thought out ignorant bylaw. There are mill workers that catch a bus out to Bear Lake, that bus leaves at 4 am. Just in case you bylaw makers don’t get it that means they leave home somewhat before 4am to catch the bus. soooo what are they supposed to do if no one else to get the garbage out.
City hall there are many people that don’t work 9 to 5 weekends off. Hey commission a study you folks are good at that.
I never see any bylaw officers in Tim,s after 4:30 PM come to think of it.
“the third was paid for by the members of Northern Bear Awareness Society through sourcing out funding grants”
Boy that sure is a long, full of hot air description of taxpayers money.
In reality the Northern Bear Awareness Society payed nothing. Taxpayers did.
Save the bears and to heck with teachers!
Council proves again that they are not as smart as your average bear Boo-Boo.
Dragonmaster you may be mistaken if these funding grants came from environmental groups who operate on donations
Dragonmaster you may be mistaken if these funding grants came from environmental groups who operate on donations
“That change would make it an offence if a garbage can is put out before 4 a.m. on a garbage collection day.”
Great money maker. Tour the city with garbage collection trucks between 12am and 4am … pick up any cans on the street at that time and drop them into the truck; broing them to the city yard, unload, and repeat as often as is required.
Charge people $100 fine when they pick up the can.
If each garbage truck picks up 20 cans, that is $2,000 a night per vehicle.
They do it with cars, why not with garbage cans.
A city that is “open for business” …. :-)
You just got to laugh anymore at the reasoning of city council….nothing makes sense….
Opt out of garbage pick up? Charter of Rights? Freedom of association clause? Nothing is “etched in stone” that a good lawyer can’t change. I asked. City bylaw or sumthin’ like that. Health worries was another excuse.
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