Email from Melanie Austin re: Bear Proof Residential Waste Bin and Wildlife Attractant Review

Bear Proof Residential Waste Bin and Wildlife Attractant Review

Dr Mayor Tobias, and View Royal Town Council

I am writing to respond to the “Bear Proof Residential Waste Bin and Wildlife Attractant Review” prepared by the Director of Engineering, which will be discussed at the Town Council meeting this coming Tuesday. The report was prepared in response to a Petition made to Council by myself and Andrea Miller on September 5, 2023. Unfortunately, the report did not take into consideration many of the points that we presented in our Petition and appears to be a high-level consideration of the issues rather than a fair and fulsome review. The particular points that I would ask Council to reconsider are with respect to the provision of bear proof bins, and are as follows:

• Cost: the report states that there would be a significant cost associated with supplying “Bear Proof” bins. I would like Council to clarify what is meant by “significant” and provide the actual costs for the bear proof bins relative to the existing bins, so that I can understand the reluctance for the costs. When I spoke with Waste Management I was told that the bear proof bins did not cost substantially more than the current bins. In our Petition, we recommended that Town Council start with a pilot program including only neighbourhoods that are directly adjacent to park land and in which bears are regularly seen/encountered. Case in point, our neighbourhood which lies between Craigflower Creek and Highland Rd, and north of Watkiss Way. This would be approximately 147 residences. I request that Council provide the cost for providing bins to only these residences as a pilot project. Focusing efforts only to this neighbouhood (and other like it) directly affected by bear would a cost-effective approach. As mentioned in our Petition, at 15 years old, our existing bins are past their useful service lifespan and are due to be replaced in any case.
• Effectiveness of the bins: the report states that “the bear proof bins only have an elevated level of protection over the current bins during non pick up days” – If we consider the time when the bins would be unlatched for pick up as being between 7am and 12pm on pick up days, that would be for 5 hours out of 168 total hours in one week. That means that bear proof bins would provide an elevated level of protection for 97% of the time. Residents do not wait until pick up day to put out their garbage; bins containing garbage sit out at the sides of houses throughout the week. This is one of the key points that BC Conservation Officer Richard DeKelver noted about our neighbourhood. “Bear proof bins” are necessary precisely for the times between pick up days. WildSafe BC coordinator Jenny Wallace states that “the majority of garabage related bear conflict happens when bears access unsecured garbage between collection days, usually under the cover of darkness”. There is less of a concern about bears approaching the bins on pick up days, because bears are less likely to wander around the neighbourhood at this busy time, when residents are leaving for work and school. Bears will tend to avoid the neighbourhood at these busy times, making the unsecured bins less of a risk at this time.
• Effectiveness of the bins: the report states that “while the latch may deter smaller wildlife, it likely would not deter an aggressive and determined bear”. As stated in our Petition, and as seen in all the literature about safely living with bears, it is known that bears only become aggressive and determined once they have become habituated by being rewarded with easy access to food. The current bins that View Royal provides can be easily opened by simply being tipped over, knocking open the lid. The “bear proof” bins would provide enough of a deterrent that a bear would not bother with them. They would be more likely to pass through the neighbourhood without gaining easy access to food, and would return to the easier food sources within the surrounding forest. As such, the bears would not become aggressive or determined, and would not become “problem bears”. Some level of deterrent is better than none. Jenny Wallace of WildSafe BC states that “eventually the bears will learn that it’s not worth the effort or risk to bother with these new bear resistant bins.”.

The report prepared by the Engineering Director has been a cursory examination of the issue, but has not given the issue the consideration that is warranted. I believe that the above points highlight some key contradictions to the conclusions of the report. I request that Council give the matter further consideration. I once again request that Council consider implementing a pilot program with a small number of residences (~147) in our neighbourhood that is directly affected by conflicts with bears on a regular basis.

Thank you

Melanie Austin 1938 Riverside Dr