Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is right; the development of the Wildlife Act and the Species at Risk Act is underway. It has been underway for a number of years and obviously it's a very slow process. We are required to consult with land claim organizations and with wildlife management groups. We want to make sure we consult with the entire public across the territory and all of the aboriginal organizations. It has been unwieldy. We have to make sure that we comply with the spirit and intent of all the land claim agreements, and we are aiming to do that. So, yes, I've run down a number of safety issues related to grizzly bears and black bears and the kinds of things the department has been doing for some time. The Member is right; this is nothing new. There are increased encounters because we're spending a lot more time on the land because of the development, I think. It's not my intention to come out with new provisions related to grizzly bears at this point. We know that you can't sport hunt grizzly bears. I don't think that's what the Member is suggesting. If you are attacked by a grizzly bear, obviously you can kill it. You have to report to us that you've done so, but I think that short of the new wildlife legislation that we've been working on for some time and are implementing, I'm not aware of anything that the department is doing currently to change the rules around how we deal with problem grizzly bears. Thank you.
Brendan Bell on Question 268-15(3): Steps Taken To Address Encounters With Grizzly Bears
In the Legislative Assembly on October 20th, 2004. See this statement in context.
Further Return To Question 268-15(3): Steps Taken To Address Encounters With Grizzly Bears
Question 268-15(3): Steps Taken To Address Encounters With Grizzly Bears
Item 6: Oral Questions
October 19th, 2004
Page 873
See context to find out what was said next.