B.C. to review conservation officer policies in push to reduce bear deaths

In a move aimed at reducing the number of bears killed in British Columbia, the province is creating an expert panel to review how conservation officers carry out their work.

The government also announced the creation of a partnership with the Grizzly Bear Foundation, which will help guide this closer examination of policies and training.

“This is a tremendous opportunity and a unique opportunity to advance the well-being and the stewardship of bears in British Columbia,” Nicholas Scapillati with the foundation told CTV News in an interview. “This work is like an essential step in addressing the calls that First Nations, conservation organizations and the public have made around the number of deaths.”

The practice of killing bears has been contentious for years, particularly in cases where some First Nations and conservation groups have argued relocating the animals would be possible.

“This idea of working on training and policy review has been evolving,” Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman told CTV News. “We didn’t want to go ahead without getting engagement and endorsement and participation from First Nations. We have that now.”

While some groups and members of the public have expressed concerns about how certain situations have been handled by conservation officers, Heyman stressed the government takes this issue of accountability seriously.

“For some time now, without much fanfare, we’ve been referring specific complaints to an independent third party for review. In the future, we’ll also be working with the new tools available under the Police Act to ensure there’s oversight of all people involved in public safety and law enforcement," Heyman said.

“People are doing a hard job in difficult circumstances. We want the public to be sure they’re doing the best job possible, in the most responsible way possible.”

The totals have climbed in recent years, with more than 600 of the animals killed by conservation officers in 2023.

“I think the review of the practices is long overdue,” said Michael Howie with The Fur-Bearers, a conservation group. “It’s in fact something the auditor general called for during their review of the grizzly bear trophy hunt and management many years ago. They commented on the lack of review of this kind of data and information.”

The government expects to receive recommendations on potential changes by spring 2025.