Council to address bear problems

Sault Ste. Marie City Council will hear Monday from Dennis Monaghan, the man contracted by the City to control nuisance bears.

The package being sent to City Councillors in advance of the meeting contains two items about the issue.

One is a letter sent by the Township of Sables Spanish River to the Ministry of Natural Resources, advising that it no longer intends to involve itself with nuisance animals unless the problems relate specifically to municipal property.

"We feel that in the case of bears it is the policies of the provincial Government that have largely contributed to the severity of the problem, and such problems should be addressed by the province through the Ministry of Natural Resources," the municipality states.

The second item received by Sault councillors is a letter sent to Mayor John Rowswell by Natural Resources Minister Jerry Ouellette. The letter advises people to go to the ministry's web site to learn more about being "bear aware."

You can go there now by clicking on this. Meanwhile, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Board will be briefed on the bear issue next Thursday.

To view SooToday's complete listing of 2002 bear sightings up until yesterday morning, click here.

Other recent SooToday coverage:

Brady Irwin meets a bear John Campbell roars, officials issue warning

Access the latest bear-sighting reports

For the latest official news about bear sightings in the City, click on the "Local Police Beat" link at the top right of this page. This information is updated daily around 7:30 a.m. with all the latest overnight police news, and is one of SooToday's most popular features.