Property owners could be fined $500 for attracting bears under proposed North Vancouver bylaw

A new bylaw proposed for the District of North Vancouver would see zero tolerance and higher fines for property owners who leave out garbage, unpicked fruit and other bear attractants.

The suggested changes to the district's waste management bylaw mean residents could face a minimum $100 fine for leaving garbage out, including setting bins at the curb the night before pickup. Every subsequent incident could lead to a $500 fine with no warnings.

The district comprises a number of tree-filled North Shore neighbourhoods including Lynn Valley, Maplewood and Deep Cove.

This comes after multiple bears were killed by conservation officers in North Vancouver this summer, turning community members on each other and prompting outrage toward conservation officers who say the bears had become fearless of humans and habituated to food.

The new bylaw goes to council for first reading Monday night.

Coun. Lisa Muri says the changes, including increased fines for non-compliance, are a "no-brainer" that council as a whole is committed to see pass. 

"There's not going to be a debate about whether or not we change," Muri said. "This is the absolutely right thing to do.

"I think ... hitting people's pocketbook will be a big instigator in getting them to change their ways and becoming more bear aware and becoming more responsible."

Muri said it's everyone's responsibility to ensure their property isn't attracting bears and that issuing warnings for non-compliance is no longer an effective way to manage human-bear conflicts.

A report to council says the district's waste management bylaw was last updated in 2007 and is due for a "significant rewrite" with an expansion on managing wildlife attractants.

Alongside "substantial fines to reflect the seriousness of the requirements and to encourage compliance," the report recommends that education programs be paired with the changes and that properties that fail to comply with the bylaw be excluded from garbage collection.

Coun. Megan Curren said she doesn't believe the changes go far enough — she said she will suggest fines start at $500.

"This is an important step and I support it but I'd like to see it even stronger," she said."I think there's a lot more that we need to do."

Curren said she believes the municipality is doing what it can to manage human-animal conflict but that the province needs to do more.

She will also be recommending council ask the province to review its internal policies for managing conflict between animals and humans. B.C. Parks are underfunded and animals are facing the consequences, Curren added.

Provincial statistics show B.C. conservation officers killed 564 black bears last year after responding to more than 21,000 calls.

'Education alone is not adequate for some residents'

The North Shore Black Bear Society, which has been working to educate residents on bears since 1999, was consulted on the proposed changes.

Executive director Christine Miller says enforcement of the bylaw is key to stopping bears from being killed.

"We believe that education alone is not adequate for some residents, that they need to have enforcement to encourage them to make the right choices for their management of things that attract wildlife," Miller said.

Coun. Jim Hanson said he believes the increased fines and other proposed changes to the bylaw are "reasonable" steps toward making the forested community safer while protecting bears.

He said the community was very upset after well-known bears, including one neighbours dubbed Plum, were killed by conservation officers after wandering into people yards to eat unpicked fruit in preparation for hibernation. 

"I think the community supports these initiatives ... our community doesn't want to kill bears, at the same time there are lots of people who are concerned about bears in residential areas," Hanson said.

"I'll support any changes that are likely to make bears safer and make us safer."