New years are supposed to start off with momentous firsts, like the first baby born in Squamish. That's the sort of event you like to see right on New Year's Day, and we're very pleased to welcome little Riya Rai to our community, born right on time to bring in 2008 (though perhaps a little later than her parents would have hoped for).
The warm welcome we'll be providing Riya and her family through the generosity of local merchants in next week's paper will hopefully make up in part for her delayed arrival.
Another kind of momentous first we could have waited a lot longer to see - the first death of a garbage-addicted bear. Sadly, that too happened right on New Year's Day in Timber Town.
It used to be that winter represented a reprieve from the heart-breaking cycle of dead bears thanks to hibernation. However, changing climate and restricted food supplies for bears mean more are foregoing a winter's sleep to survive - and they're attracted to our unsecured and improperly-stored garbage year-round.
Bears and garbage are not the type of problem that can be solved by half-measures - not even by three-quarter measures, for that matter. As Conservation Officer Dave Jevons points out in today's Chief, if there's 100 homes in an area and 98 have secured their garbage, the whole area suffers from garbage bears - worse still, the bears suffer when they become habituated and eventually, destroyed. Ninety-eight per cent may be nearly perfect in nearly any test, but in this one it's a failing grade.
The solutions are right in front of us - as usual, what is lacking is the collective will to do what's necessary and to pay the price required. Several times in the last few years we've called for the District of Squamish to take a leadership role on this issue and simply equip every tote in Squamish with a lock and tack the cost onto property owners' tax or utility bills. But if council hasn't had the courage to do that in the past two years and simply bear the political brunt of tacking a one-time charge of $100 onto taxpayers, fat chance seeing it happen in an election year.
That's a shame. Leadership is about doing what's right, not just what's popular - but it pays rewards down the line. Perhaps one of the many councillors looking to defend their seats this November (or planning a move to the mayor's chair) will take the initiative, show that leadership, and reap the rewards this fall. We won't hold our breath, but we can hope.
We can also hope that when Riya celebrates her first birthday on New Year's Day 2009 that we're also celebrating a year with a lot fewer destroyed bears -ideally, just one.
