Sentence handed down for 'bear dude'

By Mona Mattei

Allen Piche, known as the bear dude of Christina Lake, was fined $6000 today for feeding up to 24 black bears on his property over the past 15 years.

Judge Ronald Fabbro gave his decision in Grand Forks court Thursday, May 24 in Piche’s case which was delayed since December of last year. In his statement Fabbro told Piche that his actions were “foolish” and he considered bear feeding a flight of fancy. Fabbro’s decision was to fine Piche $3500 for the first count and $2500 for the second charge.

Crown counsel Joel Gold had asked for both fines and a jail term in his arguments leading up to the sentencing.

Piche, a 66-year-old Fife area resident, was charged with feeding dangerous wildlife in 2010 when human fed habituated bears were discovered on his property as RCMP conducted a search for a marijuana grow operation. He pled guilty to the charges and agreed to stop feeding under order from the Ministry of Environment’s conservation office. He was charged again in the fall of 2011 with the same offence as a result of a covert investigation conducted between June and October, and again pled guilty.

“I never expected to go to jail for this, it wasn’t in my thoughts,” Piche commented. “I thought they were two reasonable fines considering. I also have a stipulation in the decision that I cannot feed any wildlife, not even put up a bird feeder.”

Piche said the previous precedent fine for feeding bears in Canada was $3000.

In December’s sentencing hearing crown counsel Joel Gold had two witnesses tell Fabbro that the community of Christina Lake lived with an extremely dangerous situation throughout 2011 as the impact of the 10 to 15 years of Piche feeding bears played out. The conservation officer gave evidence that he dealt with 256 complaints, 100 in the month of August alone, and killed 18 bears. It was estimated that their management plan, which included evaluation of the problem, initiating a bear aware program for the area, killing bears and responding to complaints cost the province about $75,000.

Fabbro stated in his decision that there was little proof that the bears killed in the community last year were the ones from Fife, however.

Piche is still residing at his property and has seen several of the bears this spring as they come out of hibernation. They seem to just check in and leave once they know there is no food.

“I am confident the bears will survive,” said Piche. “As far as I’m concerned (the change in feeding) was worked out last year. I knew they would be fine. Everything’s going really well with them and I am happy to let them go.”

Piche is still facing a hearing for production of and possession of for the purposes of trafficking in, marijuana for the grow op found on his property at the time.