A Tofino, B.C., man has been handed an $11,000 fine and will spend 30 days in jail for illegally killing a black bear and her cub.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Ryan Millar was also served a 20-year hunting and weapons ban at his sentencing in Tofino Provincial Court on Monday for killing wildlife outside an open season and for killing a black bear under the age of two.
According to the BC COS, Millar saw the bears in a tree outside his property in 2021. He then used a recurve bow to shoot them out of the tree, before killing them on the ground with a crossbow.
Millar later tried to hide the carcasses, the Conservation Officer Service said.
Get daily National news
“No one should take it upon themselves to needlessly destroy wildlife. We ask people to call us if they have a concern. It’s not lawful to take matters into your own hands,” BC COS Sgt. Dan Eichstadter, said in a Facebook post.
- Calgary area ‘very uniquely situated’ for study of hailstorms, says researcher
- Memorial tree at Saskatoon cemetery to be cut down due to invasive disease
- ‘Sovereignty comes with responsibility:’ U.S. lawmakers to Canada on wildfires
- Bow Glacier Falls Trail, site of two deaths in 2025 rock slide, reopens to hikers
-
![]()
Ontario wildfires: Residents evacuate devastated Collins First Nation as infrastructure wiped out -
![]()
Health alerts issused as wildfire smoke continues to blanket Peterborough region -
![]()
Northwestern Ontario wildfires burn buildings, trigger evacuations -
![]()
City of Calgary could approve more than 17 thousand new homes by 2030
“We’d also like to thank the witnesses who immediately reported their concerns to authorities and initiated this investigation.”
The majority of the $11,000 fine will be directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.
The Conservation Officer Service said it hoped the hefty penalty will serve as a deterrent to others.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.