B.C. mayor captures his encounter with a bear on camera
A Metro Vancouver mayor captured on camera a recent and close encounter with a four-legged member of his community.
Mayor Richard Stewart, of Coquitlam, ran into a black bear while biking on a local trail, and posted video of the incident online.
He said he backed away about 60 metres (200 feet), then zoomed in with his camera to get the video, which was captured on the Coquitlam River Trail.
Stewart said he stuck around too to warn others about the hungry bear out for a stroll.
"If we're careful with our attractants, garbage, etc., the bears will stay in the forests to forage, where there is lots of food for them," he wrote on Faceboook. "Please, let's keep our bear population safe by keeping them from human food sources."
Black bear sightings are not unusual in Coquitlam, especially in wooded areas.
Residents of the area are asked to keep their distance, giving the bear enough space to walk away.
In the event of an encounter, they should try to stay calm. Wildlife officials say to back up slowly and not stare directly at the bear.
If it approaches, use bear spray rather than running. If charged or stalked, play dead if you can't escape into a building, vehicle or up a tree. If attacked, fight back with anything nearby: rocks, sticks, hiking polls or other items.
To reduce the likelihood of an up-close encounter, the City of Coquitlam asks residents to store garbage, green bins and recycling bins in an area inaccessible to bears and other wildlife.
Meat and strong-smelling food scraps should be frozen, and only transferred to green bins on collection day.
Pet food should be stored inside, and fruit should be picked as soon as it ripens.
Barbecues should be kept clean, and fallen seed from bird feeders should be cleaned up.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6% in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.