Bears and Humans in Vancouver’s Suburbs

This sign on a city street in North Vancouver, British Columbia is evidence of the coexistence of humans and bears in the suburbs of Vancouver. Vancouver has set an ambitious goal of being the greenest city in the world by 2020. One of its main strategies is a strict urban containment boundary with large areas of protected agriculture lands to the south and protected drinking water supply watersheds in the north. The protected watersheds are heavily forested and mountainous. Having all that wild, green space right next to a city creates some interesting interactions between people and wildlife. Bears have been spotted in downtown Vancouver and in the suburb of North Vancouver, you will get a $300 fine if you put out your garbage before 5:30 am.