[Cougra]

Congrats, I think the government did the right thing.

HOWEVER, I do still have concerns on how the bleackbear population up North is going to be regulated. I go hiking and camping in Northern Ontario often and I have noticed an increase in bear activity. The campsites now have to have thier garbage disposal incased in High Voltage Electric fences with locks and huge cement slabs on top of the bins every night to prevent the bears from breaking into the garbage bins (Saw that at Halliburton Forest last summer)

THis summer while Camping/Hiking on Manitoulin island we came across three bears (cow and two cubs) along side the cup and saucer trail.

North Bay dump site was declaired off limits to workers for three weeks this summer because the number of bears in the dump was deamed a dangerous situation. Again in North Bay, on three seperate occasions this spring children were sent home from schools because bears had wandered into the school playgrounds.

This summer, my mother and I were able to take photos of bears (they are a little burry) while we were sitting on her balcony.

Yes the spring bear hunt is barbaric, yes bears have a part to play in our environment and on the whole I don't have a problem with them. HOWEVER, I have seen more bears these past couple years then I saw in my entire life while living in NOrthren ONtario. These are not stories, they are actual events and are common in all the smaller communities of Northren Ontario. THere needs to be a more humane way of co-habitating with bears. Here in Southren Ontario where the vast majority of people live we don't have to contend with the issue head on so it gets ignored and the people who come in close contact with these bears are rightfully concerned.

Please don't get me wrong, I support the decission to cancil spring bear hunts, I just think more needs to be done then stopping the hunting!!

PS. This picture is blurry because we were a little nervus and heading into the house!