New fines for leaving bear attractants out on North Shore could be $500 with no warning needed

The District of North Vancouver is proposing some tough new fines for property owners who leave out garbage, unpicked fruit and other attractants for bears.

In a motion to be discussed before council Monday night, the new rules would grant people a $100 fine for the first offence and a $500 for every additional infraction. In addition, fines could be given out without a warning first.

“The warnings don’t work anymore,” Lisa Muri, councillor for the District of North Vancouver told Global News Monday.

“The fines, it’s too late. By the time you give two or three warnings, the fines don’t come soon enough and by that time a bear has had to be put down.”

Recently, two black bears have been shot and killed on the North Shore after they were attracted by garbage and fruit left on the ground.

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In early September, a black bear the locals had named Plum was killed and in early August a black bear the locals had named Huckleberry was also euthanized.

Officials said both bear deaths had avoidable outcomes.

“It’s preventable,” Christine Miller, executive director of the North Shore Black Bear Society said. “Very seldom is there a dangerous situation that requires them to be killed.”

“We did appeal to the municipality over the years, particularly in the last few years, that education alone is not adequate and we need more enforcement.”

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Muri said she thinks the motion will pass unanimously Monday night.

“The discussion will be ‘do we want immediately a $100 fine and then if it’s the second go to $500 or do we start with $500?'” she said.

“I think maybe the middle ground for council would be to start with $100 and then go to $500. But eliminate the warnings. Right now we do warnings, there is a process to the warnings, then there are fines. That is not working so we are just going to go right to your pocketbook.”

The stiffer fines without a warning would also apply to people who put their garbage and recycling bins out the night before collection.