The next time you have a bear in your garbage or in your back yard munching on your fruit trees or you encounter a cougar when out for a walk, don't expect to get any help from the local conservation office.
In another case of government cutbacks, it seems the Sunshine Coast won't see a new conservation officer any time soon.
C.O. Dan Aikenhead, who did a fantastic job covering this area, is leaving his position to explore another career path.
In the past year, we have, on numerous occasions, called upon Aikenhead for a variety of wildlife issues from bears to cougars. We know he was a busy man, doing the work of probably two or three officers.
So you would think that in an area populated with so much wildlife, the Ministry of Water, Air and Land Protection would see fit to replace Aikenhead's position. You'd be wrong.
According to Liz Bicknell, communications director for the ministry, the office up in Powell River will now be responsible for all the calls.
She also tells us that a 24-hour hotline has been set up and will be manned by trained staff.
That's all well and good, but the last time we checked, Powell River isn't exactly a 10-minute trip from this area. What happens when we have a serious wildlife issue, which needs to be dealt with immediately? Do we call the RCMP, or do we wait the hours it will take for help from Powell River? And what type of information can we expect from someone on a telephone in an office miles away?
Is this is a joke? What is it going to take for the government to realize that you can't cut back on these important services?
We need an adequate conservation office.
