In the wake of Bella Coola bear attack, some call for B.C. to revisit ban on grizzly hunt

An attack on a school group on British Columbia’s Central Coast has renewed conversations about the province's ban on hunting grizzly bears.

B.C. banned grizzly bear hunting at the end of 2017 with the exception of hunting by First Nations for food, social and ceremonial purposes.

The move to end a practice that attracted trophy hunters came after the provincial government held public consultations which, it said, found that the grizzly hunt was not in line with the values of B.C. residents.

On Friday, eight years after the ban started, the B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) said that reports of grizzly-human conflicts have since risen dramatically.

“With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences,” said Jesse Zeman, t