Communities must play a vital role in preventing Ontario's black bears from becoming a problem. Applying some basic steps in the way garbage is stored and collected, and how landfill sites are managed is responsible action communities need to take to help keep bears away. Here are some examples of how your community can get started.
What your community can do:
- Get involved in the Bear Wise program by contacting your local Ministry of Natural Resources office
- Conduct a bear hazard assessment to identify potential problem areas
- Develop a plan to reduce human-bear conflicts
- Involve and engage all people in your community by inviting them to help or by providing them with information on steps they need to take to reduce bear problems
- Review future development plans relative to greenspace
- Provide a regular garbage collection schedule and consider adopting regulations that prohibit leaving garbage and other food attractants out, except on pickup day
- Provide bear-resistant garbage containers for community parks, streets and transfer sites
- Implement policies and procedures to ensure that residents and businesses are not attracting bears to the community
- Properly manage landfill sites to reduce their attractiveness to bears
- Install electric fencing around landfill sites
- Adopt and enforce garbage management by-laws. For more detailed information and ideas, visit ontario.ca/bearwise
Download a PDF version of this fact sheet.
TO REPORT BEAR PROBLEMS: contact the Bear Reporting Line at:
1-866-514-2327 (TTY) 705 945-7641
In a life-threatening emergency, call your local police or 911.
