Garbage Bylaw in Spotlight

Resident's survey looks for a 'community pulse'

A local resident says his recent survey was intended to get a "clearer sense of community sentiment" with regard to bear/human interactions in the Village.

Gregan Dunn's survey questions.

Mountain Drive resident Gregan Dunn recently posted the three-question survey on local social media, asking for the participation of residents. He followed up by posting results of the survey last week.

When asked why he undertook the survey, Dunn said he realized he was assuming the vocal opposition he saw online was just a small minority.

"I decided to run the survey to see if those social media comments actually represented larger concerns in the community. My goal was to provide a clear 'community pulse' that could help the Village, Bear Smart advocates, and residents find common ground based on evidence rather than just the loudest voices on social media."

He said it didn't occur to him at the time to consult with either the Bear Smart Committee (BSC) or Council. "Perhaps it was naive of me to think that it was acceptable to jump into the fray in such a manner, but I'm hopeful that folks involved see the results of the survey and realize it's likely moved the conversation forward and provides a path to a more positive outcome."

When Dunn posted the results of his survey (see the infographic), he said his goal was "to share this data to help improve the Bear Smart program and foster more informed (and hopefully less toxic/confrontational) discourse within our village." He noted that he was surprised to receive 105 responses, which represents just over seven percent of the Village population.

"Most discussions on our village Facebook pages only involve a handful of people, so seeing that many residents willing to share their insights was powerful. Moving the conversation to an anonymous survey off Facebook was likely a key factor in encouraging people to speak up who want their voices heard, but don't feel comfortable participating in typically contentious social media conversations."

In his summary, Dunn said that while his results showed that the majority of respondents support the bylaws "at least in principle", he noted a "loud and significant minority" that feels the current bylaws are unfair.

Dunn noted that the number of residents in the middle ground with concerns about the timing of garbage collection and the availability of bear-proof bins suggests that "if the Village addresses the timing of garbage collection (very recent changes to the bylaws have attempted to address this) and provides better bear proof bin infrastructure, much of the current community friction could be resolved."

With regard to written comments, Dunn noted what he called "The Lower Village Dilemma," where some working families and commuters living in the 10 a.m. garbage-collection window find the timing difficult.

Dunn called Council's new bylaw "a massive step forward", as it allows residents to use bear-safe bins to give more flexibility to set-out times. "This single change directly addresses the frustrations of nearly half of those who support Bear Smart but struggle with the current bylaws, with 14 out of 32 respondents in this group explicitly identifying curbside set-out times as their primary issue with the bylaws."

Dunn noted that critics of the BSC describe the group as overzealous and "activist-led," and that respondents mentioned feeling "shamed" or "bullied" by the enforcement style. He said there is a strong sentiment that the Village should prioritize education over "zero-tolerance" fines for timing technicalities.

Councillor (and BSC member) Neville Abbott said that he is always keen on hearing resident feedback, and after reviewing the results of the survey, offered the following statement:

"Having looked at the comments collected in this survey, it’s clear many respondents are not aware that bylaws have changed to allow residents who buy bear-resistant cans from the Village to put them out from 7 a.m. With the usual half-hour grace period, this third option should accommodate those who may be unable to comply with the pickup or drop-off times, which was raised multiple times by those with concerns about the bylaw. Another common misconception is that fines are handed out as a first choice when in fact education is always the initial response by Bylaw and as far as I know very few, if any, residents have been fined.

Garbage Bylaws and enforcement are requirements of the Bear Smart Community Program, as is education. During the 2017 Conservation Officer Service (COS) renewal of the Village’s Bear Smart Community status, both were identified as problematic, but the 2024 renewal noted that both had been remedied with bylaw changes and increased bylaw enforcement.”

BSC Chair Norma Rodgers clarified that the committee is made up of a small number of residents who advocate for bears, as required by the Bear Smart Community Program.

"We create and distribute bear safety information and track reported bear activity. The researched bear education we produce is extensive," she said. "Neither the COS or staff is willing to take on this bear information communication role."

Rodgers noted that the BSC has no involvement in the creation of garbage bylaws or their enforcement, but shares information with the COS, Bylaw Officer and CAO during three or four Bear Working Group meetings per year.

"It is wrong to accuse BSC members of shaming, bullying or activism, We are hard- working volunteers who care about wildlife.”

Dunn said his key takeaway is that Lions Bay is not as deeply divided as it often feels online and that the recent bylaw changes will likely make an even stronger majority of people fully supportive of the Bear Smart initiative.

Most people want to be 'Bear Smart'; they just want bylaws that are logical, fair, and workable," he said. "By focusing on these common-sense logistical improvements, we can ensure the safety of our wildlife while maintaining the livability of our village for all residents."

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