[WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT] Tougher rules eyed after second bear shot on Westwood Plateau

A second bear shot in as many days on the Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam has the city’s Bear Aware co-ordinator asking for more improvements to an already impressive city plan to help reduce bear-human conflicts.

The 180-kilogram black bear shot yesterday was roaming around a yard in the 2000-block of Turnberry Lane at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday when a neighbour called the RCMP. The bear later pawed at a basement window and climbed through it into the home. When RCMP officers arrived they chased the bear outside, took a shot at it, and it climbed up a tree, said Ministry of Environment spokesperson Kate Thompson.

When the provincial conservation officer arrived later, he couldn’t get a lethal shot at the bear up in the tree so he tranquilized it, she said. The tranquilizer didn’t take full effect, the bear hit the ground and tried to run off before it was shot and killed.

The male bear had to be shot because it was problematic and aggressive “so there wasn’t a question of it being relocated,” Thompson said. The animal was also wounded from the initial shot by police.

Coquitlam RCMP was unavailable for comment by The Tri-City News’ deadline yesterday.

The bear is the third to be killed this week. On Wednesday, one was shot after it attacked and mauled a woman gardening. Earlier in the week, a bear was shot near Cedar Drive.

In light of the recent events, Bear Aware co-ordinator Drake Stephens said he’d like to see the launching of a stewardship program working group moved up to September from October. He also said he hopes the latest bear deaths will put more pressure on city council to amend the solid-waste management bylaw, which allows residents to put garbage out after 9 p.m. the night before garbage is collected at 7 a.m.

Garbage should not be allowed to be put out the night before collection — period, he said.

That’s something that Mayor Maxine Wilson is willing to explore again.

The idea was pitched in 2006 but failed when council decided to soften the proposed rules by allowing residents to put out garbage by 7 a.m. the morning of pick-up, but not before 9 p.m. the night prior. While Wilson said the timeline is designed for residents who work shift work, she agreed the bylaw should be revisited.

“I think we’re going to have to re-look at it and be better prepared for next year,” she said. “I’d be willing to, definitely, because if in doubt, make sure that there’s safety for our residents.”

Coun. Richard Stewart, who argued in 2006 that the looser rules won’t stop bears from feeding on trash, said poor garbage service is also a problem.

“I think that our experience over the past 18 months has been that IPI [International Paper Industries] is so unreliable in picking up the garbage that I’m not sure that we could count on the garbage getting picked up the day of the pick-up anyway,” he said. “I wish council had dealt with this properly. The unreliability of the contractor has very likely contributed to the death of two bears and the near death and very tragic injuries to a resident of Coquitlam.”

Other amendments to the city’s solid-waste bylaw made in 2006 require residents living in areas where there are regular bear interactions to properly secure garbage cans between collection days.

Those who do not may receive an “official notice” requiring the garbage be placed in secure cans with tight-fitting lids.

Residents may also be required to store garbage either inside a secure enclosure or garage between collection days. After receiving such a notice, residents who fail to securely enclose garbage could receive a $500 fine.

People with fruit trees must pick fruit as soon as they are ripe, bee hives must be kept in a manner that is inaccessible to wildlife, and no meat or dairy products are allowed in compost bins.

The city also has an impressive list of bear-management initiatives that focus on awareness and prevention, said spokesperson Therese Mickelson, including education materials and a Bear Aware coordinator.

Bear-resistant bins are being tested in Westwood Plateau and work also continues on a bear management plan.

More than 1,000 bears are killed every year in B.C. because of conflict with humans, usually because the bears are attracted to improperly secured garbage or garbage left over night.

lgerrits@tricitynews.com