Dear Editor,
Did I read correctly that the Ministry of Environment provided funding to “Bear Aware” in the amount of $357,000 over two years? This funding is to assist in “Bear Aware” education in order to decrease conflicts between man and bear. I am assuming that this large amount of money has not been donated, and that the bill is being footed by what seems to be an ever decreasing pool of tax payers. Who exactly is not aware that bears, when encountered, should be given a wide berth? I mean really, $357,000 to tell people to use common sense and exercise caution if they should come across a bear? One would think that this subject would have been covered thoroughly by one’s parents or in elementary school. What’s next? Half a million dollars to tell people not to walk out in front of traffic?
Reg Muir
A concerned tax payer
Princeton, BC