It’s a little like the old joke where ‘dog bites man’ is reversed to ‘man bites dog.’
In this case, though, and it illustrates the situation well, a black bear bit into a vehicle tire, flattening it.
Clearly, this bear was stressed about being the subject of a bear jam, where drivers pull over and stop to observe or, worse yet, get out of their car to try and capture the holiday image of a lifetime.
We feel it’s fair to say that, had not a tire absorbed this bear’s wrath or stress, a human outside their vehicle may have – with obviously dire consequences.
Not only does this incident highlight the fact bear jams (as well as elk jams, sheep jams, goat jams, etc.) are stressful to wildlife, it highlights the fact bears are creatures to be reckoned with.
Any animal with the dental work to flatten a tire is an animal you don’t want to mess with.
Whether or not the bear in question had previously been food conditioned by thoughtless drivers tossing food from vehicles to attract them, it also highlights the danger of that act.
We’ve had enough instances of thoughtless people purposely (or negligently) food conditioning wildlife such as bears and wolves with tasty offerings causing destruction of the very same animals they so desperately want to see up close.
Broadcast meetings
We have to side with those in Banff who feel their municipal government should start broadcasting and recording council meetings for public consumption.
Beyond the fact Canmore and many other municipalities already do so, there is the possibly more subtle advantage on enabling a broader spectrum of the public to view civic happenings and workings.
Many people, due to time, work or family constraints, simply cannot make themselves available to take in a mid-day Banff council meeting. This doesn’t mean they don’t care what happens in their community, it may often simply mean they can’t due to time or scheduling constraints.
If you go back to the 2015 Banff council, which expressed an interest in having council meetings broadcast live, we’d say it’s past time to incorporate this into civic proceedings.
In a world where everything, it seems, is available online via computer, cellphone, etc., it makes sense to have council meetings broadcast, even stored for later viewing via the Town’s website.
In addition to allowing more residents to view council proceedings and procedures, we feel offering access to broadcasts could offer greater clarity on certain issues. No longer, then, would council decisions, or open house debates, for example, be subject to rumour, innuendo and third- or fourth-hand interpretations, residents could tune in for themselves and see how an issue or council vote actually played out.
And (we kid about this in the Outlook office), it would allow those who are pondering running for council in upcoming elections to more thoroughly familiarize themselves with council workings, administration’s role in municipal meetings, and just how the public is able to take part. Occasionally, as a municipal election approaches, residents who otherwise never darken a council’s doorway are suddenly seen to be taking in council meetings; only afterward do their names appear on a ballot.
So, for many reasons, recording and broadcasting council meetings for public consumption is a good idea past due.
