Bear Smart Castlegar

What "Bear Smart" means

Castlegar is officially designated as a Bear Smart Community by the Province of BC. Earning the designation required meeting six criteria, including a bear-human conflict plan and an ongoing public-education program. The whole framework is built around one simple idea: keep bears wild by keeping their food sources human-free.

Your role, in four steps

The City supplies bear-resistant residential carts, communal dumpsters in high-conflict areas, and the regulations behind them. The rest is on you, and the entire program rises or falls on the four habits below. All four together protect the bear’s life and your property.

1. Carts out 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. on collection day. Never the night before. Set a phone alarm.
2. Bring carts in promptly after pickup. Empty carts still smell. A bear that visits an empty cart will check the next one with food in it.
3. Use the wildlife clip on the cart lid. It locks the lid against curious paws. Damaged or missing clips? Call Civic Works at 250-365-5979.
4. Store carts inside (garage, shed, secure enclosure) between collection days, especially during fall hyperphagia (August through November).

Hazard assessment and conflict plan

The City has completed a Bear Hazard Assessment to identify high-risk areas, and a Human-Bear Conflict Management Plan that guides the City's response when conflicts happen. This means the City has a coordinated approach instead of scrambling each time a bear shows up.

Education and outreach

The City supports WildSafeBC outreach: annual school presentations, farmers market booths, neighbourhood garbage patrols, and signboards deployed when bears are active in a specific area. Watch for those signs and take them seriously.

Bear Attractant Response Strategy

Together with WildSafeBC and the City's bylaw enforcement team, the Bear Attractant Response Strategy guides how complaints get addressed: education first, enforcement when needed.

Beyond the garbage cart

Garbage gets the most attention, but bears are equally attracted to:

• Bird feeders, especially in spring and fall. Take them down or use them only in winter.
• Fruit trees, pick fruit promptly and clean up windfalls. Even neglected ornamental crab apples will draw bears in fall.
• BBQ grease and grills, burn off grease after cooking and don't store grease cups outside.
• Pet food, feed pets indoors, and don't leave kibble bowls outside.
• Compost, use the City's organics cart rather than backyard compost, especially during bear season.