From BIV.com: BC's Bear Smart Program is no longer accepting applications
- lionsbaybearsmart
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Between 1999 and 2001 Lions Bay experienced a rash of bears being destroyed due to unmanaged attractants. Concerned residents and councillors combined efforts to reduce bear/human problems, and since then, the municipality has been very proactive with bear management. In 2011, Lions Bay became the third BC municipality to attain Bear Smart status.
The program is based on research that "shifted blame away from the bear and focused on how communities failed to manage attractants like garbage or local apple trees".
Following the BIV news article Bear Smart chair, Norma Rodgers, confirmed with BC COS that CO's would continue to work with Bear Smart communities, including Lions Bay. Lions Bay's Bear Smart certification was renewed by the ministry in 2024.
In the BIV article Port Moody Mayor Meghan Lahti said it best: “We haven’t done this to be able to pat ourselves on the back, we do it because it’s the right thing to do.” Port Moody received Bear Smart status in 2024.
BIV also reports: "Others who have already spent vast amounts of time and money on becoming Bear Smart communities said that whatever happens, they wouldn’t stop adhering to its standards. The province’s failure to expand the program is of “no practical concern” for Mission, because the city has already adopted the program’s principles."
