Rainbow school board prepares for bears in Sudbury
Educator director says custodial staff will play key role in keeping garbage out of plain sight
Schools in Sudbury are getting ready to welcome back students while preparing to minimize the chance of a run-in with bears after a recent number of grisly encounters in the area.
Norm Blaseg, director of education with the Rainbow District School Board, told CBC News he will be relying on staff to keep an eye out for the safety of students. For the sake of caution, Blaseg said if there is any risk from a bear outdoors, school staff members will immediately call students inside.
Blaseg said his custodial staff will play a critically important role in minimizing the risk of a student meeting a bear by keeping food waste that attracts animals out of plain sight.
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"Whether it is garbage, or whether it is bags or whether there are any disposal sites that we hold our garbage in, [we must ensure] that they are securely locked," he said. "If it is bags, they make sure that they are brought into the building and make sure that they are secure so the bears don't have anything to access."
As CBC News has previously reported, Sudbury police have received more than 1,200 calls about bears roaming around local neighbourhoods. That figure is twice as many as authorities received last year.
The increase in complaints has led to more police encounters with bears. Several bears have been shot by officers in the past few weeks. The most recent incident was on Monday when a sow was shot and her two cubs were relocated to a sanctuary near Parry Sound, Ont.