A Port Moody resident is facing a significant fine for killing a grizzly bear in Squamish in 2021.
The BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) says Carime Bruno was sentenced to pay $7,000 and do 100 days of community service for the crime.
COS says Bruno tried and failed to claim the killing was done in self-defence.
“The evidence found during the investigation determined that the killing was not justified, and contrary to the Wildlife Act,” said the Service in a release Wednesday.
There is no open season for grizzly bears in B.C. COS says it hopes the severity of the penalty will discourage others from taking “similar action.”
Effective Tuesday, the provincial government has implemented stricter fines and penalties for approximately 200 violations related to harming wildlife.
In a release Monday, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said those fines have not been adjusted in more than two decades.
“The highest new fine amount, $1,495, will apply to people hunting wildlife defined as big game during a closed hunting season, the unlawful possession of big game, or the unlawful possession of threatened or endangered species, as well as other serious offences under the Wildlife Act and its regulations,” the ministry said.
The COS says it started its investigation after receiving a tip to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline. You can tip the hotline yourself by calling 1-877-952-RAPP (7277).
Bruno also received a five-year ban for hunting and possessing firearms.