Local
Man killed by bear in Waiparous Creek
By: Sofia Waugh
May 12th 2021. On Tuesday May 4th 2021, former Canmore citizen, David Lertzman, was killed by a bear while hiking on Moss Trail near Waiparous Creek.
He was trail running when a mature female grizzly bear came onto the trail behind him and started attacking his back. The grizzly started to push and unfortunately David fell off a steep embankment. His body was later found by the river.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials have not yet been able to catch this bear but are trying. “As a person who’s lived in Canmore all my life, this is a sad and scary thing to hear.” says Lily Cudda, resident of Canmore.
Though this accident is unfortunate, you can keep yourself safe by bringing bear spray, being aware of your surroundings and making noise when going on hikes.
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Meyers on Unsplash
Did you know that Banff previously had a zoo?
By: Rochaxelle Tallie
May 9, 2021. Want to know the backstory about how Banff formerly had a zoo? Well, I got your back. Keep on reading and let me tell you the story of how Banff used to have a zoo.
In 1907, Banff decided to open up a zoo and named it Central Park. There were animals such as cougars, bears, monkeys, and a polar bear named Buddy. So far, everything was successful. Time passed, and in 1915, two black bear cubs that were in the wild were taken to the zoo because their mother got shot for hostile behavior. One bear was named Teddy but the other bear wasn't named.
Mr. Casey Oliver, the owner of the Sanitarium Hotel, adopted one of the bears. The bear was described as “Teddy”. Teddy was kept outside the trading post to attract attention. Soon after, rumors started going around that Teddy snuck inside the house and snuggled with a special guest in bed one night. Although, this rumor still remains a mystery.
Teddy was usually fed with chocolate and biscuits, but one boy took it too far. He attempted to feed Teddy with chocolate that had a chili pepper on top. Obviously, Teddy didn’t know. After Teddy ate the chili pepper, he was very flustered. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) requested the bear be removed.
Teddy left Banff to live with a hotel keeper in golden. In 1934, the Banff zoo closed down due to animal cruelty. All of the animals were sent to the Calgary Zoo, which is a few hours from Banff.
‘Influx of water’ could cause flooding in Hay River’s new town: flood update
By: Laurel Andra
May 10th 2021. On May 9th a flood Emergency management team in Hay River, N.W.T are telling residents to be on “high alerts” as still rising water levels threaten across the community.
An update was sent at 11:00 pm Sunday, Officials warned that ice jams at the east and west channels of the Hay River may break soon and the resulting ‘influx of water’ could cause flooding to Vale Island and even Hay River’s downtown area, known as new town. The water level is still rising, an update on May 10, 2021 Monday. The people have been moved to a different place for extra safety. Those who have COVID 19 symptoms or are in self isolation are told to call instead of coming in person.
The centre is providing cots, blankets and meals to evacuees. Those relocating can also stay at the centre’s RV park free of charge, or seek private accommodation. Communities across the south are facing unprecedented water levels as northern waterways begin their annual spring melt and breakup. Nearly all of the Jean Marie River’s 26 homes were flooded and contaminated by fuel on the weekends, and the nearby town of Fort Simpson is under an evacuation order as water rises on the Mackenzie River.
They say that they will come back with another update, hoping the water level stops rising soon.
Photo credit: Hay River in N.W.T
Exshaw citizen finds dog dropping bags behind house
By: Lily Cudda
May 10th 2021. On May 3rd a citizen of Exshaw, Alberta reported finding roughly thirty dog excrement bags behind their house.
“I noticed that there were a bunch of dog dropping bags in the trees and bush behind my house in Exshaw. I looked closer and they were piled all over the place. I think someone was picking up their dog's poop and throwing it into that spot all winter long. Many were on the ground, but some were way up high in trees too. A few days later I cleaned them all up and counted over 30 bags just in that one spot.” he says, “It's bad for the animals, birds, and insects, and can even spread disease! It's also very ugly!”
Did you know that it takes over 500 years for a plastic bag to degrade, if it even degrades at all? This action can affect so much in the environment. Animals and insects can be drawn in by the colour and get a disease.
I hope now that dog owners know about this issue, they will pick up their dog’s poop.
Photo Credit: Banff Fenlands Arena
New survey for Banff recreation center: what should we do with it?
By: Daisy Dulan
May 13 2021. This May the Banff Fenlands Arena asked the community to fill out a survey. The survey is about what we should use the facility for in the summer. They sent this survey out so that there could be more activities in the summer at the rec center.
“We’re looking at seasonal uses for the ice facilities, so that’s summer seasonal uses, but we’re going to maintain the winter activities that exist on them,” said Amanda Arbuckle, Banff’s recreation manager. This means in the winter there will be an arena for hockey and figure skating. Some things being considered are a temporary field house, yoga, racket sports and more.
Many local ice users are hoping to have more info and give input at an online workshop. (Scheduled for May 19, 2021). This workshop is meant for local ice users to gain information and give input on what is going to happen in the rec center.
It will be interesting to see what our community's vision of the fenlands rec center is through these public inquiries. So, if you got this email, take your vote.