Official Blog of the Great Bear II

First class wilderness adventures and holiday cruises on the coast of British Columbia.

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Summer 2016 ~ Winter 2018

November 23, 2018

HUGE NEWS : BC government in "early stages" of exploring oversight for conservation officers

The BC government has told a National Post reporter that they are in "the early stages of exploring options for an independent review or oversight body to deal with complaints about officer conduct."

The article, ' Animal-welfare activists worry pro-hunting culture is 'militarizing' provincial conservation agencies', published in today's National Post by journalist Douglas Quan, examined ongoing concerns about law enforcement agencies responsible for environmental and wildlife-related issues across Canada. The article heavily featured Lesley Fox, executive director of The Fur-Bearers, as well as our ongoing efforts to advocate for change to protect wildlife.

"To the best of our knowledge, there is no province or territory that has an established independent board to oversee policies, practices and complaints related to wildlife/environmental enforcement agencies," Fox said in her interview with Quan .

Over the course of the last two years The Fur-Bearers have challenged the Conservation Officer Service in British Columbia over their responses to wildlife conflict and perceived conflict, including two formal complaints, one of which is now in the hands of the Supreme Court of Canada. The most recent complaint regarding the accidental and preventable death of a bear sow has not yet received a response from the service.

The statement from the government that they are in the early stages of exploring options for oversight is extremely positive - even if at this point it may not materialize. It is an acknowledgement that they can do better, and The Fur-Bearers, with support from advocates and organizations like West Coast Environmental Law and Lush Cosmetics, will continue to apply pressure.

The Fur-Bearers have incurred significant costs, including legal fees and administrative fees associated with Freedom of Information Act requests.

If you'd like to support our efforts please click here to donate now .

December, 2017

There really are no words strong enough to describe how it feels to know that Grizzly Bears will no longer be hunted in British Columbia!!

We are grateful for and humbled by all the people who worked so hard and for so long to make this happen!

A special thank you to the steadfast leadership by Coastal First Nations, who for us were such an inspiration and guiding light, especially when the going was tough.

For us, this was never about the "science", the "numbers", and the "economics". This was about educating people about the true nature of Grizzly Bears, one of the most sentient beings we know, and, about holding a mirror up in front of those that attempt to spread fear and mistruths about this iconic species.

We congratulate the government of British Columbia for asking British Columbians what they wanted for the future of Grizzly Bears and then acting on the public's recommendations. We congratulate the government of British Columbian for standing up to the bullies, for the sake of the bears and for the sake of humanity.

May, 2016

For those of you that have travelled with us before, you are going to see some BIG changes on board our ship "Great Bear II" as soon as you set foot inside!

As any of you that have done renovations likely understand, it all started with replacing our old oven and cook-top in the galley... that's how it began.

By the time our Great Bear II left home on April 28, we now have a beautiful new stove with 2 ovens, a new dishwasher with drawers, and a beautiful quartz countertop in the galley. (The fridge is staying put.)

Because the galley and the salon are all one large room, it couldn't of course, end there. There is new vinyl plank flooring throughout the galley/salon, a sensible replacement of the carpet. The final touches include a new couch, a recovered matching settee, and beautiful new area rug.

We didn't want you to have to then see the same old carpet downstairs in the staterooms and hallways, so you will find new carpet there.

For those of you that think this could all be a tad extravagant, we want you to know that nothing was wasted... everything was recycled, even the decades old oven and cooktop!

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