WHEREAS the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection has stated that the Ministry is and continues to be a strong supporter of the provincial Bear Aware program: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities lobby the provincial government to maintain the Bear Aware program and provide the required funding through the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund for communities pursuing the Bear Smart program, including community-based education programs.
MINISTRY OF WATER, LAND AND AIR PROTECTION The Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection recognizes the importance of Bear Aware education in reducing bear-human conflicts within communities. The ministry continues to explore various options to make funding available to communities to pursue this and other Bear Smart criteria, including a dedicated funding envelope within the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund. It is important to note that funding for communities to achieve Bear Smart criteria cannot be provided entirely by the provincial government, but will require resources provided at the community level as well.