Gunning for bears

Parks Canada is considering allowing tour guides to carry guns in Arctic parks.
Pauline Scott, the communications manager for Parks Canada’s northern field unit, said the review of the no-firearms policy was prompted by the dangers posed by polar bears in national parks.

Currently, the National Parks Act prohibits non-Inuit from carrying weapons in national parks.

Scott said the review only applies to licenced tour guides and outfitters. “It’s not looking at all visitors carrying firearms,” she said.

The review began last winter, well before the recent double-mauling in Katannilik Territorial Park near Kimmirut. Scott said it’s unclear when the review will be complete.

Most of Canada’s new national parks have been created in the Arctic. In Nunavut, the review applies to Auyuittuq, Sirmilik and Quttinirpaaq national parks. Other national parks with polar bears include Ivvavik in the Yukon Territory, Tuktut Nogait and Aulavik in the Northwest Territories, and Wapusk in northern Manitoba.