According to local conservation officers, a family of bears have been frequenting unsecured residential and industrial food waste bins in the area near Stave Lake Street and 11th Avenue in Mission.
The Mission RCMP and conservation officers have responded to several calls of bears accessing unsecured food waste bins in that area since May 15.
The COS (Conservation Officer Service) wants to emphasize to the public that attractants – such as garbage, pet food and birdseed – need to be securely managed all year, adding this is the best way to prevent human-wildlife conflicts from happening in the first place.
Conservation officers are asking the public to call the RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line at 1-877-952-7277 to report such bear behavior. The sooner the RAPP line is called, the more options the COS has to help manage the issue.
Officers can issue violation tickets ranging from $230 to $575 for attracting dangerous wildlife, and sometimes refer matters to court where much heavier fines can be requested.
Officers will be coming around auditing the area soon.
The COS is working with the District of Mission and residents as part of ongoing outreach and education efforts around the importance of attractant management. Getting the community to become Bear Smart is the goal.
Off-Road:
Conservation officers were also busy during the long weekend patrolling for violations related to off-road vehicles and opened liquor in motor vehicles.
On Sunday, May 17 officers encountered an individual operating an off-highway vehicle on the Florence Lake Forest Service Road carrying two small children and all were not wearing helmets.
The individual was fined a total of $414.