Last month, A grizzly that was seen numerous times roaming the streets of Smithers and causing a stir on social media was caught and euthanized.
Sergeant Matthew Corbett with the BC Conservation Service said officers set up two traps on July 18 and finally trapped the bear on July 21. He said the bear had to be destroyed because it had become habituated.
However, before I had talked to that conservation officer to get the facts, someone posted on Facebook that they had seen the bear go into the trap and watched officers take it away. The comment section on the post blew up, with everyone assuming the bear would be released. Most people on social media believed that to be the case. But it wasn’t true.
The bear was put down and three households were charged under the Wildlife Act for leaving bear attractants out.
Local news matters. Hearing about what is happening in our backyards and knowing the truth is important. In this case, it was important that people in the neighbourhood know that there wasn't a grizzly roaming their streets.
It was also important that people know the bear was put down and why. It is crucial that people understand they can't put their garbage out the night before. It is also probably pretty handy to know there are significant fines that can come with doing that.
Knowledge is power.
Twice a month, Smithers council meets and makes decisions about the local community. There is usually only a handful of people in the gallery and a couple of people streaming the meeting online.
These meetings can be long and there are a lot of tedious things to sort through during a meeting. But local media sort through the information and write about the stuff that matters, the things people care about.
It saves a lot of time and headache for people who don't want to do that. Without a local newspaper, most people won't know what is going on at town hall.
I think most of our politicians here play by the book but what if no one is watching? Journalists are good at holding people in power to account. It is a huge part of our job.
With media outlets closing down all the time, this region is lucky to have local news. We always talk about the importance of shopping locally and that includes supporting local media.
A yearly newspaper subscription is only $50 a year, less than a dollar a week, but gives so much information about local news and events. A national news agency isn't going to talk about the temporary encampment in town or won't show photos of the newly constructed skateboard park.
These things matter.
