More work to be done preventing bear conflicts in Calgary, city councillors say

More needs to be done to prevent conflicts with bears around city limits, say some city councillors after four black bears were put down by the province over the weekend.

The sow and her three cubs had been frequenting the southwest neighbourhood of Discovery Ridge.

According to a statement from Fish and Wildlife, officers were receiving near-daily complaints about the bears getting into green bins.

"This is a hard comment to make about the public, but there is some willful ignorance on the part of citizens about how their actions could have prevented this," said Kourtney Penner, councillor for Ward 11.

"We know that locking up garbage is really important. We know that not leaving food out is really important. This isn't the first and it’s not going to be the last bear encounter."

Two other black bears were relocated from the Discovery Ridge area in September.

Research shows relocated bears most often do not survive.

The challenges only increase as it gets closer to winter, as most black bears will start to den any time now.

The province has euthanized 131 black bears since April 1.

Provincial estimates put Alberta's total black bear population at roughly 40,000 animals.

Bear researcher and provincial NDP candidate Sarah Elmeligi says that while the decision-making process used to euthanize should be reviewed every five to 10 years to stay current with research, the province needs to improve prevention and public outreach.

"It is really important that we actually have people on the ground, talking with community members and working with communities toward solutions that meet their conflict needs," Elmeligi said.

"Without Bear Smart, we just don't have the capacity."

For years, the Bear Smart program worked with communities to improve the handling of garbage and other food attractants to help reduce problems with bears.

Elmeligi says the program is no longer funded by the province and the effects are beginning to show.

"These are the latest (bear deaths) in Calgary, but it's kind of been happening for over a month now where bears are getting into garbages or human property and are being euthanized."

Councillor Richard Pootmans, whose ward includes Discovery Ridge, says he's open to solutions and is now looking into what the city can do.

It may be more complicated than a simple bylaw change, he says, because bylaws must apply across the city.

Pootmans says some of his fellow councillors have expressed their opposition to any new regulations.

A grizzly bear was live-trapped and relocated from Discovery Ridge in 2017, and bear sightings of both species have become increasingly common along the western edge of the city over the past decade, according to Fish and Wildlife officials.