----- Original Message -----
From: Barbara Murray
To: 'Minister, ENV ENV:EX'
Cc: Premier@gov.bc.ca ; 'Minister, FIN FIN:EX' ; 'Barisoff, Bill LASS:EX' ; 'Sultan.MLA, Ralph LASS:EX' ; 'Whittred, Katherine LASS:EX' ; 'G. Leona Green' ; 'Gail Martin' ; 'Northern Lights Wildlife Society'
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 2:08 PM
Subject: RE:BC Funding for Bear Rehabilitation

Dear Honourable Minister Penner,

Thank you for your response to my e-mail regarding my group’s on-going concerns for a review and reform of current bear rehabilitation policy in B.C.

My group’s new, more formalized name is now ‘B.C. Bear Advocates’ and our official mandate will be announced in the near future.

Further to your department responding to the Premier’s request to look into options and bring forward recommendations re: bear rehabilitation, I would respectfully ask you to invite vital input from each of the current B.C. bear rehabilitators (numbering 4). I once again request that you establish a bear rehabilitation advisory committee in the near future with key individuals represented.

Regarding funding for problem bears. I am indeed aware and grateful for the extraordinary efforts and resources that your department and government are making on the North Shore this season. Since January’05 the Conservation Officer Service has successfully long-distance relocated 23 bears and killed 4. Unfortunately, as we all know, this is a temporary, reactive and costly fix but it does give our ‘habituated’ bears a second chance in the wild and minimizes risk to humans. Members of the North Shore Black Bear Network and groups like mine are extremely encouraged that the COS are working more closely with both problem people and bears to eventually minimize the bears needing relocating or that that are killed in the first place.

I look forward to receiving any up-dates from your office with respect to the issue of bear rehabilitation.

Sincerely,

Barbara Murray
B.C. Bear Advocates

North Vancouver, B.C.
e-mail:murrlaw@shaw.ca
cc. Northern Lights Wildlife Society
Hillsprings Wildlife Centre
Critter Care Wildlife Society
Members of B.C. Bear Advocates