Mounties issue 80 tickets in B.C. national park after crashes kill 3 bears in 6 days
Mounties issue 80 tickets in B.C. national park after crashes kill 3 bears in 6 days
Bears are seen in B.C.'s Yoho National Park in this series of photos released by the BC Highway Patrol. (BCHP)
Multiple crashes involving bears in a B.C. national park earlier this month prompted a crackdown on drivers in the area, according to the B.C. Highway Patrol and Parks Canada.
In a news release Thursday, the BCHP said the federal parks agency contacted it in early June "after a number of collisions with bears on Highway 1 east of Field B.C." in Yoho National Park.
A spokesperson for Parks Canada told CTV News by email that three bears were struck and killed in the same stretch of highway over a six-day span from June 7 to 13.
The first collision happened during the early morning hours of June 7 near the Lake O'Hara parking lot, according to Parks Canada. The bear – a young female grizzly – was believed to be about five years old and was the sibling of Yoho National Park's well-known white grizzly.
After the initial crash, Parks Canada implemented a speed limit reduction to 70 kilometres per hour between West Louise Lodge and the bottom of Field Hill. The agency also established a no-stopping zone and stepped up enforcement in the area.
The second collision happened on June 11, killing an adult male grizzly that had been trying to breed with the female bear killed earlier that week.
The second crash led officials to reduce the speed limit to 50 km/h, according to Parks Canada.
On June 13, the third collision killed an adult male black bear.
As a result of the string of crashes, according to the BCHP release, officers from both agencies began an "enforcement and education campaign."
"The section of highway is popular with both black bears and grizzly bears at this time of year due to an abundance of high-value food sources found along the road," police said in their release.
"Unfortunately, this puts the bears at risk of contact with motor vehicles and often results in injury or death to the bears."
During the week of June 13, BCHP officers and Parks Canada wardens issued 80 speeding tickets and impounded four vehicles. They also ticketed one person for flying a drone in a national park.
"Parks Canada stresses the importance of observing the reduced speed limits, and to drive with caution in the early morning and evening hours," the agency said. "Do not stop if you see wildlife on the roadside, particularly along the Trans-Canada Highway. Please report all wildlife sightings on the roads or any wildlife incidents to Parks Canada dispatch at 403-762-1470."
The Justice Department has asked a court to unseal the search warrant the FBI received before searching the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.
A widespread power outage is currently affecting the downtown core in Toronto and officials say it may have been caused by a large crane that struck a high-voltage transmission line.
A national tracking system for health-care workers, with information on what training they have, where they're located and what their career plans are, would make a 'significant difference' in addressing future staffing challenges, the president of the Canadian Medical Association says.
A Canadian Armed Forces veteran has been charged with murder in connection to a mass shooting in Belize that left two people dead and eight others injured.
A new tax on yachts, luxury cars and private aircraft designed to hit the super-rich could also cover vehicles meant to help the environment, a tax expert warns.
The Edmonton Oilers shared memories of superfan Ben Stelter on Thursday. Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and head coach Jay Woodcroft held a virtual press conference to speak about the six-year-old.
A widespread power outage is currently affecting the downtown core in Toronto and officials say it may have been caused by a large crane that struck a high-voltage transmission line.
A Brampton, Ont. media personality who was attacked with a machete and axe in his driveway will need months of physical rehabilitation to recover, a close friend says.
An American teenager who was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting in Laval, Que. during a family vacation three months ago was finally released from hospital, but still isn't able to walk on his own.
A new study shows that religious minorities in Quebec, particularly women, feel less safe and less welcome in the social fabric of society since the adoption of the province's secularism law, commonly known as Bill 21.
Cybercrime is on the rise across Manitoba, and while new provincial funding is helping Winnipeg Police crack down on illegal cryptocurrency transactions, other forms of cybercrime are also threatening Manitobans.
Saskatchewan's education ministry is appointing an administrator to oversee a Saskatoon Christian school at the centre of a criminal investigation of a proposed class action lawsuit.
The suspect at the centre of Saskatchewan's recent Amber Alert was working campground security for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally when police arrested him, according to campers.
Saskatchewan's education ministry is appointing an administrator to oversee a Saskatoon Christian school at the centre of a criminal investigation of a proposed class action lawsuit.
A climatologist says the wildfires that have been burning for more than two weeks in central Newfoundland could be a sign of what's to come as the province feels the impacts of climate change.
The City of London has created a new pilot project that will allow permit vendors to operate on Dundas Place between Ridout Street and Wellington downtown.
Animal services officers at the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth (HSKWSP) say they have witnessed an increasing trend of traps being set to capture or harm local wildlife.
Bears are seen in B.C.'s Yoho National Park in this series of photos released by the BC Highway Patrol. (BCHP)
