Living with Bears in Whistler

Whistler is home to 9,824 residents, more than two million annual visitors, and about 100 black bears. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is actively engaged in reducing human-bear conflicts through partnership with the key organizations that form the Whistler Bear Working Group.

Bear with garbage in Whistler

Whistler Bear Working Group

In 2002, the multi-agency Whistler Bear Working Group (BWG) was founded. The core membership includes the RMOW, the Get Bear Smart Society, British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment and Conservation Officer Service (COS), Whistler Blackcomb, Carney’s Waste Systems, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Additional members, as they are needed or available, also participate, such as the BC Conservation Foundation’s Bear Aware coordinator and community volunteers. 

Bear Smart Community

After ten years of dedicated efforts to implement bear smart practices within the community, the RMOW has officially received Bear Smart Community status from the Ministry of Environment.

Whistler now joins three other B.C. communities that have achieved this designation, including the Village of Lions Bay, Squamish, and Kamloops.

The Bear Smart Community program is a voluntary, preventative conservation program designed by the Ministry of Environment in partnership with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

Whistler’s road to becoming a Bear Smart Community has taken over a decade and has involved many partners. In 1995, the grassroots Get Bear Smart Society was established with a mandate to ensure that people and bears safely and respectfully coexist within the community. From there the Whistler Black Bear Task Team was established in 1997 and developed the first black bear management plan the following year.

In 2002, the multi-agency Whistler Bear Working Group was established. The group includes representatives from the RMOW, the Get Bear Smart Society, British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment and Conservation Officer Service (COS), Whistler-Blackcomb, Carney’s Waste Systems, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Additional members, as they are needed or available, also participate such as the BC Conservation Foundation’s Bear Aware coordinator and community volunteers.

Whistler is committed to incorporating long-term bear smart practices into the community’s waste infrastructure, educational programs and residents’ lifestyles. This is a community-driven initiative that will require continuous and cooperative efforts to further reduce human-bear conflicts.
 

What to do if you see a bear?

If you see a bear, want to report bear attractants such as unsecured garbage, or learn more about bear proofing your home, call 604-905-BEAR (2327).

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