Castlegar has made a lot of progress towards becoming a Bear Smart Community however, it’s not official yet. Jenny Wallace, WildSafe BC Coordinator for the community says it comes down to locking your garbage bin.
48 bear sightings and conflicts have been reported to the Conservation Officer Service so far this season and more than half of these have been garbage-related. There are some high-conflict neighbourhoods in particular. For example, a recent audit found as many as 30% of households were storing their cart outside, unlocked in Arrow Lakes Drive.
Wallace says more enforcement of the Wildlife Attractant Bylaw will most likely start happening.
She says although there has been a lot of progress it’s still disheartening to see.
She says in the past, roughly 30 bears a year were being destroyed in Castlegar and that number has come down by more than half.