The Union of British Columbia Municipalities, the organization that represents local governments across the province and advocates for provincial policy for communities at the municipal level, passes resolutions brought forward by councillors or representatives. Since 2011, the UBCM website notes they have passed three resolutions regarding trapping, requesting that:
- FLNRO be encouraged to develop and promote educational programs on alternatives to trapping and the importance of trapping signage, particularly within urban interface areas;
- FLNRO prohibit the sale of wildlife traps to individuals without a license or permit;
- The Province investigate ways to prevent domestic animals from being injured in traps; and,
- Trap lines not be allowed in recreational areas close to communities.
These are all responsible regulations supported by (and in some cases, initiated by) The Fur-Bearers. The opportunity here is for communities to show their support for these resolutions, participate in a conference call and other communications pushing for these resolutions, and, ultimately, have such resolutions turned into provincial policy.
Take Action
The Fur-Bearers are asking you to write to your local council and request their support in this UBCM initiative. These resolutions will go a long way in protecting families and domestic animals from dangerous traps in our communities, and promote co-existence with wildlife as opposed to lethal control. A sample letter is below, and a fact sheet you can include or link to in your letter is also provided at the bottom of this page. If you're not a resident of British Columbia, please send a letter to MLA Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources Operations (FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca) telling him that you want to see these intiatives taken on before you visit BC with your tourist dollars!
Together, we can make our communities safer – and that starts by creating responsible trapping regulations that will protect those who are most vulnerable. Please contact your local council to ask their support in pursuing these UBCM resolutions.
Sample letter
Dear Council,
As a resident of (insert community name), I urge you to support the UBCM resolutions on trapping (Conversation on Trapping, http://www.ubcm.ca/EN/meta/news/news-archive/2016-archive/conversation-on-trapping.html) and request that the provincial government act to protect families, pets, and wildlife in our community.
Trapping using leg-hold traps, Conibear traps, and snares, is legal throughout British Columbia. According to documentation revealed through FOI, the province was aware of nearly 100 pets being killed by traps in BC in a 10-year period – and those were only the ones reported to them.
The resolutions proposed by the UBCM are common sense, responsible updates to old policies that will protect the most vulnerable members of our community – children and domestic animals.
Please participate in the UBCM conference call scheduled for early 2017, and write to MLA Steve Thomson to let him and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations know that you want these resolutions to become policy immediately.
If you have more questions, you can review this link (Trapping in British Columbia FAQ for Municipalities, http://files.furbearerdefenders.com/resources/2016-07-BCMunicipalTrappingFAQ.pdf), or contact The Fur-Bearers, a non-profit advocating for fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, whom I support.
Please let me know how you will respond to this request.
Warmest regards,
Your name and address
Please let The Fur-Bearers know if your local councilor or council will be supporting these initiatives by forwarding responses for our records.
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