Vote on Tuesday, May 9
Head to the poll station on May 9 to vote in the provincial election. In Squamish, voting takes place at Brennan Park Recreation Centre from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. We have five candidates – Liberals, NDP, Greens, Libertarian and an Independent. Flip to pages 1, 4 and 15 for more information.
Be bear friendly
The District of Squamish is reminding residents to be extra bear-aware as bears emerge from hibernation.
“Take down your bird feeders, tidy your yards and secure your totes – Squamish is prime bear habitat and the hibernating bears are ready to return,” a press release says.
“As we enter the 2017 season, residents are being asked to take extra precautions in managing attractants to help ensure wildlife can move through our neighbourhoods without being attracted to the first signs of food, and ultimately becoming a public safety risk.”
According to WildSafeBC, the Conservation Officer Service received around 700 calls regarding black bears between April and November of 2016.
“We saw a greater amount of wildlife incidents last fall that resulted in at least two human-bear conflicts,” says WildSafeBC community coordinator Vanessa Isnardy. “Bears have an incredible sense of smell and can be very persistent in accessing garbage and compost, which is why it’s more important than ever to be extra vigilant, prevent that first taste of food and avoid establishing habits that will persist all season long.”
Bears typically emerge from hibernation in April when they are lean and hungry, but they can remain active year-round if they become dependent on human sources of food.
If an attractant is secured or removed, the bear will move on. Follow these precautions to help keep bears wild:
- Take down and clean bird feeders
- Lock garbage and compost bins and store them indoors if possible
- Put garbage totes curbside between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. only on collection day and never the night before
- Keep barbecues clean and free of grease
- Ensure any chicken coops and beehives are protected by an electric fence
