My bear plan
People come first. Killing a bear should be the very last step. When it happens, we deserve to know why. And the reasons go far beyond what most people think.
Watch: Tina on Global News
Why bears come into town
Bad berry years leave bears hungry. Wildfire burns their food. New development takes their land and their paths. Busy trails and off-leash dogs put people and bears face to face. And yes, garbage, fruit trees, bird feeders and compost. Garbage is one cause among many, so the fix needs more than one tool.
Who decides what
Council writes the garbage rules, sets the fines and pays for bins and enforcement. It can close town trails and plan wildlife corridors. The province decides whether a bear is killed or moved, and where orphaned cubs go. Council can't give those orders. But it can ask loudly, ask in writing, and publish the answer.
1. Non-lethal first
If people are not in danger, the first answer should not be a gun.
- I'll ask council to write to the province for a non-lethal first rule in Whistler. I'll publish the reply.
2. Tell us why each bear was killed
Before we condemn wildlife, we need all the facts.
- I'll ask council to request a short public note from the province after each bear death: what happened, what was tried first, and why.
3. A local team that acts within hours
When a bear is in town, the first hours decide how it ends. Signs up. Area roped off. Dogs on leash.
- I'll ask staff, through council, what a trained local team would cost. I'll publish that number before the budget vote.
4. Orphaned cubs get a chance
- I'll ask council to request that orphaned cubs go to a licensed rehab centre, like Critter Care.
5. Food: beyond the bins
Leave garbage out and it's a $235 to $300 fine. Feed a bear, $500. Fines only work with bins that close and someone enforcing them.
- I'll back money for bear-proof bins where they're missing, and for enforcement.
- I'll raise a program to help people swap out mountain ash and berry bushes near homes, with volunteers to pick ripe berries before bears do. The town already lists these as bear attractants.
- Bird feeders, compost and barbecue grease draw bears in too. I'll back plain reminders about them.
6. Give bears room, and give people a voice
- I'll back seasonal closures on sensitive town trails, each one named: the trail, the season and the reason.
- I'll back wildlife corridors in our community plan.
- I'll ask for one public bear meeting each spring, with notes posted online.
How you'll know
Every 3 months I'll report here: what I raised, how I voted, and what council did.
