Tag: bears

The Arrival of Bear-Proof Garbage Bins in WhistlerThe Arrival of Bear-Proof Garbage Bins in Whistler

October 25, 2026 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Featured photo: Whistler Mayor Hugh O”Reilly (L) and Village Foreman Ted Pryce-Jones trying out one of the prototype bear-proof garbage bins. 1998. Makarewicz collection.

Today, bear-proof garbage bins are a familiar sight throughout Whistler, but in the late 1990s, they were a relatively new addition to Whistler’s built landscape. As Whistler continued to grow, managing garbage and reducing conflicts between people and black bears became an increasingly important issue.

In 1997, concerned citizen Sylvia Dolson helped establish the Black Bear Task Team, bringing together conservation officers with representatives from the municipality, Whistler Blackcomb, environmental organizations, and waste management companies. The team began developing a comprehensive management plan to reduce conflicts between people and bears. A central concern was the availability of human garbage as a food source, which often brought bears into populated areas. Although Whistler already had regulations prohibiting garbage from being left unattended outdoors, many existing containers remained easily accessible to bears.

Bears in the garbage dump (future site of Whistler Village), ca. 1965. Petersen Collection.

By December 1997, the task force outlined plans to introduce bear-proof commercial containers and smaller pedestrian bins throughout the village. The goal was to have the village area bear-proofed by the summer of 1998. However, the task force recognized that replacing municipal containers alone would not solve the problem. More than half of the garbage bins in the village area were privately owned, making cooperation from businesses and property owners essential.

As task team co-chair Sylvia Dolson explained at the time, “We need to get public support to make all the bins bear proof.”

By April 1998, the first shipments of new containers had arrived in Whistler. These included 70 commercial garbage bins and 16 smaller pedestrian bins. The commercial containers were designed by the Black Bear Task Team to be both bear-resistant and accessible to people. Constructed from heavy-gauge steel, they featured sloped lids, smaller access doors, hydraulic closing mechanisms, and animal-proof latches.

The first commercial containers were destined for Function Junction, Whistler Creekside, and other areas experiencing problems with bears accessing garbage. Of the approximately 360 commercial containers serving Whistler’s multi-family residences, hotels, and businesses, 50 could be retrofitted to meet the new standards. The remaining containers were to be replaced once the new design had proven successful. Carney’s Waste Management had already invested nearly $100,000 in the initiative at the time.

Some Whistler residents could do with a few lessons in tidiness and cooperation. This scene at the Mons garbage compactor tells a story (1982). Whistler Question Collection.

The smaller pedestrian bins, known as Hid-A-Bag containers, were fitted with cedar facing to complement the village’s appearance. The first three were to be installed outside municipal hall, with others distributed throughout key village locations.

There were also efforts to encourage private businesses to participate. The Jennifer Jones Whistler Bear Foundation (known now as the Get Bear Smart Society) offered a $250 incentive toward the approximately $700 cost of a new pedestrian bin, while Whistler Resort Management and Sea to Sky Real Estate had already adopted the containers for Marketplace area of Whistler Village.

The new bins were only one part of the strategy. The task team emphasized public education, proper garbage disposal, habitat protection, and improvements to the landfill. Even the strongest container would be ineffective if its lid was left open or garbage was placed beside it.

The transition continued beyond 1998. In November 1999, Whistler passed a new garbage disposal bylaw requiring wildlife-resistant containers or enclosures throughout the valley. The proposed regulations also addressed the outdoor storage of garbage and increased fines for improper disposal.

The arrival of bear-proof bins in 1998 marked an important step in Whistler’s approach to managing human-bear interactions. What began as a coordinated effort involving the municipality, waste management companies, local businesses, and community organizations helped establish the garbage management practices that remain an important part of living alongside bears in Whistler today.

Coexisting with Whistler’s BearsCoexisting with Whistler’s Bears

January 6, 2026 Whistler Museum 2 Comments

Cover Image: Bears in the garbage dump (future site of Whistler Village), ca. 1965. Petersen Collection.

“Like us, animals feel love, joy, fear and pain, but they cannot grasp the spoken word. It is our obligation to speak on their behalf, ensuring their well-being and lives are respected and protected”.

– Sylvia Dolson

Whistler has an ever-evolving relationship with bears. Whistler residents and visitors alike are fascinated by bears and consider it a privilege to share the community with these magnificent animals. However, it hasn’t always been this way.

Not long ago, the general feeling in the community was that Whistler had a “bear problem”, but that missed the point. The issue was never the bears. The real problem is how people handle food and garbage while living in the middle of bear country. Whistler was built in prime black bear habitat, so it’s no surprise that people cross paths with them often. Bears have an exceptional sense of smell and are naturally drawn to anything that offers an easy, high-calorie reward, whether it’s garbage, barbecue residue, or pet food left outdoors.

When a bear discovers easy access to human food, everything changes. They lose their natural caution around people and begin searching for effortless meals wherever they can find them, sometimes causing damage in the process. This puts both people and their property at risk and puts the bears’ lives in danger. Any bear seen as assertive or “too comfortable” around humans is usually killed. When a bear pays the price for human behaviour, it is a preventable loss.

Between 1990 and 2016, 263 bears were killed in Whistler as a result of preventable conflict, an average of 10 each year. A great deal of work has gone into reducing those numbers, and the community has made encouraging progress. Between 2016 and today, 38 bears have been killed — still far too many, but a meaningful decrease that reflects years of education, planning, and commitment to coexistence.

Bears on Whistler Mountain 2018. Nichols Collection.

Efforts to make Whistler safer for bears took shape in 1995 with the creation of the Get Bear Smart Society. The organization focused on reducing human-caused problems for bears through education, science-based solutions, and community collaboration. Whistler is fortunate that Sylvia Dolson served as Executive Director for 21 years. Shortly after arriving in 1996, she read a newspaper headline about a “garbage bear” being destroyed, and that moment sparked her dedication to advocacy.

Sylvia founded the Bear Working Group, bringing together municipal staff, enforcement agencies, conservation officers, waste management partners, Whistler Blackcomb, and community members. This collaborative approach became the backbone of Whistler’s progress. Under her leadership, the community strengthened education, encouraged responsible behaviour, and worked to reduce attractants that bring bears into conflict.

In the late 1990s, the municipality began installing bear-resistant garbage cans and updating bylaws addressing attractants. These steps, paired with sustained education and enforcement, significantly reduced conflict over time. In 2010, Whistler applied for Bear Smart Community status, a provincial program that recognizes communities addressing the root causes of human-bear conflict.

Whistler achieved Bear Smart Community Status in 2011, a milestone reflecting the community’s willingness to take responsibility for living in bear country. Before leaving for the Sunshine Coast in 2017, Sylvia was recognized by the municipality for her years of service and her leadership on behalf of bears. What began as grassroots advocacy has grown into an established, long-term program — a powerful example of what is possible when people choose compassion, responsibility, and respect for the wildlife that shares their home.

Why Did the Raccoon Cross the Road?Why Did the Raccoon Cross the Road?

August 2, 2022 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

Whistler is well known for the stunning natural environment. On the doorstep to nature it is not uncommon to see wildlife in and around town. I recently saw a raccoon crossing the pedestrian crossing near Marketplace, and on the same day I watched a coyote stroll through the playground in the Village. A few days later many people watched a bear cruise through that same playground, unfortunately for the bear.

This region has always been a hub for nature, but with an increase in development we are also changing the habitat for local wildlife. While humans are the biggest threat to most wildlife in Whistler, and throughout the world, raccoons and a few other animals thrive in human-altered environments.

*Rocky the Raccoon was a nightly visitor to the Whistler Vale Bar in the late 1970s. Whistler Question Collection.*

Before the lifts started turning, when Whistler was known as Alta Lake, a study of the local mammals was completed by Kenneth Racey and Ian McTaggart Cowan. After observing and collecting ecological data for a combined 22 years, including talking to many local trappers well attuned to the local wildlife, Mammals of the Alta Lake Region of South-western British Columbia was published in 1935. At this time it was noted that raccoons do ‘not occur regularly in the district’. Tracks of raccoons passing through the valley had only been identified twice throughout the study.

However, as the town started to grow rapidly raccoons started to find that humans could be a great source of food and shelter. When longtime local, Trudy Alder, moved to Whistler in 1968 the raccoons had already started to train the locals, or vice versa according to Trudy, who remembered, “We lived in harmony with many of the animals in our everyday lives. There were plenty of animals; the raccoons thought they were our pets and we could easily train them to eat from our hands.”

Raccoons are smart, bold and inquisitive, allowing them to quickly adapt their behaviour to the changed environment. Additionally, their paws are hypersensitive and tactile so they can easily get into things for further mischief. Populations of raccoons in Whistler have increased as the number of people have increased, and the same phenomenon can be seen in many urban areas where raccoon populations increase with human development. Raccoons that live in urban environments have much smaller home ranges and live in higher densities than in their natural habitats. They are omnivorous scavengers and humans provide great sources of high-energy food through garbage, pets and gardens. Why did the raccoon cross the road? Probably for food.

The caption from the Whistler Question, August 1984, is as follows, ‘And you thought kids only carry ghetto blasters on their shoulders these days? This raccoon was spotted roaming the village Saturday’. Despite the evidence in this photo, raccoons do not make good pets. Today it is illegal keep raccoons as pets in BC. Whistler Question Collection.

Another mammal that has increased in numbers since 1935, although for different reasons, is the beaver. According to Mammals of Alta Lake, at the time of publication beavers had been hunted to non-existence in the valley. Now that the hunting has ceased the beaver population has bounced back. Today you can see signs of active beavers around Whistler’s wetlands, and, if you are lucky, you might see the beaver itself.

Some things change, while others stay the same. There is an animal encounter recorded in Mammals of Alta Lake that could have happened today. Between 1927 and 1928, trapper and early Alta Lake resident, John Bailiff caught 28 flying squirrels in his traps. The squirrels were being stored in a freezer when a sneaky marten weaselled in and stole them. Today martens are still known to weasel into backcountry huts and on-mountain restaurants, helping themselves to food, and sometimes ski gear.

For more on the local natural history, drop in to Whistler Museum’s Discover Nature pop-up museum at Lost Lake Park. Open Tuesday through Friday 11am to 5pm until the end of August.

This Week in Photos

This Week In Photos: October 4This Week In Photos: October 4

October 4, 2018 Whistler Museum 0 Comments

You may notice this week’s post is shorter than usual – some weeks have missing negatives while others are missing entirely. This happens to be one of those weeks, but there was still a lot going on in the years that are covered, from bridge openings to boat building to Brownies meetings.