A Port Moody man was sentenced last week in North Vancouver provincial court to pay a fine of $7,000 and complete 100 days of community service for killing a grizzly bear in October 2021 near Squamish.
The sentence also imposed a five-year ban on Carmine Bruno hunting and possessing firearms, according to a release from the Conservation Officer Service (COS).
A tip to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline sparked the service to investigate the killing, the release states.
"The accused first claimed self-defence, but the evidence found during the investigation determined that the killing was not justified, and contrary to the Wildlife Act," reads the release.
Hunting grizzly bears is illegal in all parts of B.C.
The provincial government banned the hunt in 2017, other than for First Nations, "pursuant to Aboriginal rights for food, social, or ceremonial purposes, or treaty rights."
"Our government is committed to improving wildlife management in B.C., and [this] announcement, along with a focused grizzly bear management plan, are the first steps in protecting one of our most iconic species,” Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman said in a statement at the time. “We also want to promote the healthy grizzly bear viewing economy in B.C. and give everyone the tremendous opportunity to see these incredible animals in their natural habitat.”
The COS said it hopes the "significant penalty" will deter others from killing grizzlies.
According to the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, there are approximately 59 grizzly bears in the Sea to Sky Corridor region, and 15,000 in B.C.
