Editor: The tragedy of bear 148’s perfectly legal death in northern B.C. raises very serious questions about the decision to deport her from Canmore made in Edmonton by civil servants and politicians there.
In so deciding, the people in Edmonton chose to ignore the advice from local personnel connected with the Bow Valley. They deliberately deported her to a northern area where it was almost inevitable that she would enter B.C., knowing full well that trophy hunting was legal there until Nov. 30.
Why did they not allow her to continue to live this year, albeit perhaps as a bit of a nuisance, and then, if necessary, deport her after the B.C. trophy hunting ban came into full effect, which is essentially what the local knowledgeable people were recommending.
To me, this demonstrates once again that Minister Shannon Phillips and her senior officials are not competent stewards of what remains of our once glorious wildlife. Minister Phillips has to shoulder the political responsibility for the death of bear 148 and in my view, she should either resign or be dismissed.
It would also be most appropriate if some civil servants lost their jobs as well: rough justice, perhaps, but all the Edmonton based humans responsible for this tragedy will at least still be alive.
Chris Levy,
Canmore
