The Regional District of Nanaimo doesn’t want residents to find themselves faced with their recylcing spread all over the road or, worse, face to face with the bear that’s doing it.
For this reason, the RDN is pushing a Bear Aware program to encourage residents to take steps to avoid attracting hungry bruins to their homes.
Regional District of Nanaimo chief administrative officer Carol Mason noted there were bear sightings in Qualicum Beach and even on Gabriola Island recently and concerns have been expressed about the green bin program serving as an attractant to bears.
To this end, she requested the allocation of $3,000 for Bear Aware information sessions for the public.
Director Alec McPherson said these information sessions are clearly needed.
“If you go into our area of Cedar after 5 p.m. the day before garbage collection, three out of four bins are already out and we have bears that are resident in the area,” he said.
“Could there be a way, such as a sticker program, where someone comes along and slaps it on the green bucket asking the owner not to put it out until the morning?”
Although this suggestion didn’t go anywhere, directors did vote for the $3,000 allocation.
