Bear pays for MNR’s tardy, inadequate response
Newmarket bear shooting leads to online outrage
By Kendra Mangione, CTVNews.ca
Social media users are expressing their outrage after police shot a black bear as it climbed down a tree in a Newmarket backyard.
The bear was climbing over fences through several yards on London Road, in the area of Yonge Street and Davis Drive on Monday morning. After being chased by police for several minutes, it climbed up a tree in one of the backyards.
York Regional Police had been waiting for a representative of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to arrive, trying to keep the bear in the tree by banging chairs and sounding a police car siren.
Eventually, the bear began to climb to the ground, police said, adding that it was agitated and likely dehydrated.
Officers considered using a Taser on the bear, but said they couldn’t get close enough without compromising their safety.
“Officers do not have tranquilizers or other options for dealing with wildlife. We could not let the bear harm a person while waiting for MNR,” police said in a message on Twitter.
In a statement sent to media after the incident, York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe said the officers “regret the incident,” but had no other option than to shoot the bear.
It is not clear how many times the bear was hit, but four gunshots were heard in the area at approximately 8:45 a.m. Ministry representatives arrived three minutes after the bear was killed.
The bear was fatally wounded by the shots.
Many people who were following the story through the media said they were outraged to hear that the bear had been killed, asking why it took so long for MNR to arrive on scene.
“This is infuriating,” one Twitter user wrote to CTV Toronto.
“Where was the ministry? Incompetence at its best,” another wrote.
A third called the decision “ridiculous and sickening.”
Several people vented their frustration at both parties: “Police will say anything to justify what they did. MNR should be held accountable for this disaster and YRP investigated,” one wrote.
“Hard to see who is at fault here. Looks like everyone dropped the ball,” another said.
MNR Supervisor John Almond said he’d first heard about the bear in Newmarket over the weekend, but said that they couldn’t attempt to subdue it until it was “stationary.”
Almond said he was in touch with police on Sunday, waiting to hear a specific location.
“Up until this point, the bear had just been running from yard to yard. It wasn’t even seen since (Sunday) morning at 8:30.”
York Regional Police had also been in contact with the University of Guelph, a horse veterinarian, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, local animal control crews, and the Toronto Zoo, according to a statement sent Monday.
“Only MNR staff are equipped and trained to respond,” police said.
Almond said he had been called at 6:20 a.m. on Monday, and headed into the office located in nearby Aurora, approximately 7 kilometres south of Newmarket.
He said he didn’t know police had actually cornered the bear in a tree until he arrived at the office, so crews weren’t called in until approximately 8 a.m.
“We had to mobilize staff, get staff to come in to the office in Aurora, get our equipment loaded up and we were here at 8:45,” Almond told reporters on scene after the shooting.
“Unfortunately the bear decided it was going to come down out of the tree and because of public safety concerns, the police felt that they needed to act,” Almond said.
York Regional Police said they will be following up with the ministry to improve the response to incidents that may come up in the future.
Officers said bears are rare in the area, but it is not unheard of for the animals to venture into residential neighbourhoods in the spring to search for food.
Police warned the public that most bears are brought out by improperly stored garbage.
“Bears quickly learn to associate human residences and campsites with a readily available food source,” a statement said.
If bears are spotted, observers are asked to not approach the animal and to call police or animal services immediately. In a life-threatening situation, call 911.
Bear standoff shows cuts put public at risk: Opposition
BY ANTONELLA ARTUSO Toronto Sun
The Ministry of Natural Resources has abandoned its responsibility for nuisance bears, putting public safety at risk, opposition parties charge.
York Regional Police have said repeated attempts to get a response from MNR about a bear in Newmarket were unsuccessful and the decision was made to shoot the animal.
“The Liberals have cut MNR to the bone,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Monday. “So what does it take? It takes a black bear wandering the front lawn of Queen’s Park for the MNR, for the minister, to realize what a mess they’ve made of the situation?”
Progressive Conservative MPP Jeff Yurek said it’s disappointing that the ministry took so long to respond to the problem of a bear wandering through built-up areas.
“We knew on the weekend,” Yurek said. “I don’t know why the ministry couldn’t have assembled the truck with the supplies during the weekend and be ready to roll first thing in the morning when they got the call from the police.”
Natural Resources Minister Bill Mauro said police are the first responders if a nuisance animal becomes a public safety concern.
“Ministry staff received a call for assistance between 6:30-7 a.m. Monday morning from police,” he said.
“When they got there the bear had already been dispatched (killed), but they were on route or they were there,” Mauro said. “I know that it’s unfortunate that the bear was dispatched. I’m not going to second guess the actions or the decisions of the York Regional Police in terms of how they responded to this.”
Mauro said it’s unfair to blame the MNR Bear Wise program, saying it still offers support and guidance to municipalities through a hotline and website.
While people would have preferred to see the animal trapped and relocated, there’s no guarantee of success that the bear can be caught or that it won’t promptly return, Mauro said.
“That process was in place for quite some time, it didn’t have a great deal of success,” Mauro said, of the trap and release program.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) raised alarm bells in 2012 when it was announced that the MNR budget would be cut by 10% or $70 million over three years.
The union said the 2013 budget restored some of the funding but the ministry had already made deep cuts, reducing the number of MNR technicians to 21 from 48, and turning the trap-and-relocate Bear Wise program into a hotline number.
“You’re going to see more and more of this,” OPSEU president Warren “Smokey” Thomas said Monday. “Sadly, an animal loses its life … that could be relocated perhaps, that should have the chance to be relocated.”
Yurek said the ministry’s decision to download responsibility for nuisance bears onto municipalities and police services puts the public at greater risk.
MNR was asked to respond to the Newmarket bear — in fact, was likely aware of sightings over the weekend — and yet failed to show up on time, he said.
“And it’s unfortunate that the minister didn’t seem to recognize that there’s a problem with the organization,” Yurek said.
Neighbours divided over police role in Newmarket black bear shooting
Local residents reacted furiously Monday when police shot dead a black bear in Newmarket after it wandered into a backyard on London Rd.
York Regional Police arrived at the scene near Yonge St. and Davis Dr. around 6 a.m. and managed to contain the bear to one garden, where it climbed up a tree.
Officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) were called, but the bear started climbing down the tree before they arrived. Police made the decision to shoot the bear out of concern for public safety.
“York’s finest were out with all their toys – a helicopter and 25 cars, all the nonsense like usual,” said London Rd. homeowner Randy Lalonde, 55, who witnessed the incident. “It was absolutely disgraceful. They were shouting and hitting batons near the bear, thinking they were going to scare it. They antagonized it and trapped it up a tree. It was terrible. The police were firing shots in every direction and they’re worried about my safety?”
However, the owner of the home where the bear was shot, Irene Lethbridge, said “under no circumstances should the police be blamed.” She added: “Where was the Ministry of Natural Resources? The police were here for probably three hours, they did their job marvelously.”
In a press release, police said they considered using a Taser, but could not get close enough without compromising their safety in case the Taser was ineffective.
“The officers involved and York Regional Police regret the incident, but there were no other options,” said Chief Eric Jolliffe.
He added that police are not equipped with tranquilizers or trained to contain wild animals. He said police will be following up with the MNR to improve the response to these types of incidents.
MNR spokesman Todd Lane told the Star that local police are always the first responders in emergency situations such as this one. “We were working with York Regional Police over the weekend, providing them with technical advice,” he said.
He added that procedure dictates that ministry staff be contacted for on-site assistance only when the bear becomes stationary because “it’s the best time to attempt to tranquilize the animal.”
Several locals targeted their fury at the MNR, who were accused of “arrogance” and being “absurdly” slow to respond.
“The worst was the Ministry of Natural Resources. What a waste of tax dollars,” Mr Lalonde continued. “They apparently don’t work weekends or after hours. If they can’t take care of it, the regional police should have officers trained with a tranquilizer gun. All they had to do was shoot it once, that poor bear.”
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