Officials in various communities are issuing safety reminders as bears start fattening up for hibernation season.
Wildsafe Kimberley-Cranbrook is urging residents to get attractants secured amid “lots” of bear activity in both municipalities.
“This morning I had a large black bear roam past my neighbourhood and luckily just passed through,” said Kaylee Coates, local Wildsafe Community Coordinator.
“I attribute this to our attractant management strategies: secured and locked dumpster, cleaned barbecues, feeding our pets indoors, cleaning up fruit from bushes and trees and not feeding wildlife.”
The ʔakisqnuk First Nation, up near Windermere, put out a similar warning due to increased bear-tivity in the community, including a brown bear seen passing through Subdivision and Indian Beach Estates (IBE) on Monday, August 17.
Sparwood’s waste woes
Over in Sparwood, Councillor Steve Kallies passionately introduced a discussion on bears and garbage collection at the latest Council meeting on Tuesday, as residents have had “real frustrations” from the furry beasts rummaging through their waste.
“There is evidence that 2026 is an unusually active bear year,” said Kallies. “The available information also tells us this is not simply a Sparwood problem.”
Kallies added that, as of July 20, B.C. had recorded over 13,600 black bear wildlife conflicts through the RAPP line, when WildsafeBC says black bears normally account for about 14,000 in an average year.
The problem isn’t limited to B.C., either.
“The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley reported in mid-August that bear activity had increased substantially, and that berry abundance was poor this summer, causing bears to move around the landscape in search of more food,” Kallies continued.
The councillor then acknowledged that Sparwood’s decision to move the garbage schedule to every other week back in April may also have contributed to increased bear activity, especially in Sparwood Proper and the Heights, but warned that it would not be the whole reason.
“A bear does not know whether waste management is arriving in seven days or 14,” he told Council. “What a bear learns is whether a house, a cart, a shed, a barbecue, fruit, pet food, or other human source provides an accessible food award.”
He wrapped up by suggesting discussion points for future meetings, such as reviewing the condition of the district’s waste carts, researching the costs of more robust carts and storage infrastructure, if any exist, and graduated enforcement for repeat and blatant non-compliance.
“I want us to start considering what options are for residents who cannot secure garbage securely.”
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