Rare black bear sighting in Erin, Ont., prompts safety warning from police
CBC
A small black bear has been spotted in Erin, Ont., prompting a warning from police.
Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said they received a report of the bear in a residential area of the town on Wednesday around 9 p.m. ET.
The bear was seen on properties in the area of Pine Ridge Road.
"According to some of the residents, a couple of the bird feeders were knocked over, which are a common target for bears," Const. Kirk MacDonald told CBC News.
A witness shared images of the bear with police.
Police say people should stay away from the bear and if it appears to pose an immediate threat to the public through threatening or aggressive behaviour, then call 911.
For non-emergency encounters, people can call the province's Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources also shares tips for people who encounter a bear:
The ministry's black bear map shows it's rare for black bears to come into southern Ontario
MacDonald said while it's not a common sighting, it's not unheard of for a bear to be seen in Wellington County.
"It does happen from time to time. We do get calls usually in the spring and generally from the images and description of these bears — they're what are described as yearling bears and that means that they're no longer a cub, but they're not quite a full-grown adult."
At that age, the bears head out on their own and go in search of food, and sometimes that means they expand the territory they might normally be in.
"It's not too unusual that bears come down forested corridors from either the cottage country area or the Bruce Peninsula, which a lot of people are aware that there is quite a significant bear population [there]," he said.
"Usually they're harmless. They're just seeking food sources. But we put this out there more as an awareness for people, for their safety. And also we don't want any necessary harm to come to animals too. They usually move on."
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.