LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The Fort Simpson landfill will now have access to bear deterrents.

Fort Simpson's landfill has become a magnet for bears. The village has issued the landfill operator some bear deterrents. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

For years, landfill operator Robert Bellefontaine has worked without any formal safety measures, despite the landfill being a well-known visiting ground for bears. The village took steps to rectify that on July 20 by issuing bear bangers and spray.

Bellefontaine often escorts dump users in to drop off their garbage, especially to the household garbage pit, which is notorious for bears. He said he also unloads garbage for people, unless they feel comfortable enough to get out of the vehicle.

Mayor Sean Whelly said there have been no reported bear attacks in his memory, although the creatures are often present in droves at the dumping site.

"I've been there. I've been dumping my garbage and I've done it really close to the bears. It makes me wonder, I'm taking my own life into my hands there just for a bag of garbage," he said.

"It's more dangerous than it probably should be because the bears are a little too close. But nothing has ever happened."

The village will be stepping up its bear-aware efforts for residents who use the landfill as well.

Whelly said he hopes to have Bellefontaine hand out pamphlets and let landfill users know when bears are near.

"It's a dump; it's impossible to control the bears. People are out there salvaging, sometimes, and they get carried away - they walk too far away from their vehicle," he said.

"The bears aren't always just at the pile of garbage; sometimes they're wandering around or are just arriving."

Bellefontaine said although he has had some close calls with bears over the years, he doesn't think the deterrents are necessary.

He keeps bear spray in his trailer but generally knows how to act around wildlife, which rarely bother him.

"If a bear wants to eat you, pepper spray may do something but it probably won't stop him," Bellefontaine said.

Whelly said the village has been preparing to put up a fence around the household garbage part of the landfill, which is currently protected by a berm.

That is part of their requirements to keep the landfill open but could also help keep out bears.

"We have to put a six-foot-high fence around the area where the new garbage is coming in, and we may also have to put up an electric fence around it as well," he said.

"The fence is to contain the garbage; the electric one is to deter bears."

But Bellefontaine said he has mixed feelings about putting up a fence.

"They do need to put up a fence ... but that might drive the bears into the village," he said. "If that happens, they'll be killed."

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