District welcomes new Wildlife Safety Response Officer

The District of Squamish and the Conservation Officer Service (COS) are pleased to introduce Wildlife Safety Response Officer Calvin Rochon. The new position will work collaboratively to help enhance public safety by delivering public outreach and education services to Squamish. The Wildlife Safety Response Officer (WSRO) will engage in community outreach and assist wildlife response efforts to increase public safety and proactively lower human-wildlife conflicts. This is a joint initiative whereby the WSRO is employed by the COS and funded by the District for a five-year term.

“Protecting and learning to safely co-exist with wildlife is our responsibility and it’s up to us to do our best to keep our wildlife wild,” says District of Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford. “One of the easiest and most effective ways to do that is to stop inviting wildlife into our neighbourhoods with garbage and food waste, fruit trees, bird feeders and other attractants. Educating our community is essential to reducing human-wildlife conflict and the new Wildlife Safety Response Officer program will bring additional support and wildlife expertise to our community.”

The WSRO acts as a community liaison, providing outreach and preventative attractant management education, while enhancing community engagement in order to help reduce human-wildlife conflicts. The WSRO also supports the COS by protecting natural and cultural values, educating the public, and responding to low-risk human-wildlife conflict reports.

“The District of Squamish is working hard to reduce human- wildlife conflicts, implement best practices to secure attractants and prevent the unnecessary killing of bears. The WSRO program provides invaluable support to these efforts,” said COS Insp. Simon Gravel, who oversees the South Coast Region. “The new WSRO will help ensure public safety by supporting Conservation Officers through working with residents, stakeholders, Indigenous communities and the media to enhance community engagement and outreach to help keep wildlife wild.”

The District and the COS continue to urge residents to be extra vigilant in securing attractants following ongoing reports of wildlife sightings throughout the community.

Please follow these bear-smart best practices to prevent bears from staying in our neighbourhoods:

1. Store totes in a garage or shed;
2. If your totes are stored outdoors, anchor them to prevent them from tipping;
3. Reduce odours by freezing food scraps and store them in your freezer until collection day;
4. Keep totes locked and secured until the morning of collection;
5. Place totes curbside only on the morning of collection and never the night before;
6. Rinse all recycling;
7. Keep barbecues clean;
8. Keep pet food inside or ensure it is inaccessible to bears;
9. Ensure bird feeders are inaccessible to bears;
10. Avoid seeding with clover and keep your grass cut and free of dandelions.

To report a broken or damaged tote please contact GFL for a free repair or replacement at 604-892-5604 or squamishtotes@gflenv.com.

To report a Wildlife Attractant Bylaw infraction contact Bylaw Enforcement at 604-815-5067.

To report wildlife sightings or encounters contact the 24/7 COS Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.

July 21, 2023