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Conservation Officer suspension story goes international

Overwhelming support for BCGEU/NUPGE conservation officer who refused to euthanize bear cubs.

Vancouver (20 July 2015) — Rescued bear cubs Jordan and Athena, seen below at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRC), are at the centre of a dramatic story that has reached beyond our borders to the UK, U.S. and beyond.

photo of two bear cubs

Conservation officer took orphaned bear cubs to vet and for rehabilitation

On July 5, 2015 BCGEU/NUPGE conservation officer Bryce Casavant was suspended without pay after refusing an order to put down the bear cubs. Casavant  had already euthanized their mother, who was habituated to humans and had repeatedly broke into a freezer at a home near Port Hardy, looking for food. Instead, he took the cubs to a vet for assesment and then to the NIWRC for recovery and rehabilitation.

After a massive public outcry — including expressions of support from actor, writer and director Ricky Gervais, as well as satirist and commentator Bill Maher, and an online petition asking for the conservation officer's reinstatement(link is external) that has attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures — the government announced that Casavant's pay would be restored pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation. The BCGEU/NUPGE has filed a grievance on behalf of the officer and is continuing to press for his full reinstatement.

Public and media interest builds across borders

As the story continues to develop, check out this extensive, and growing list of media coverage, in rough chronological order:

http://bit.ly/CO-suspension - Van Sun(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension1 - Province(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension2 - CBC(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension3 - Globe & Mail(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension4 - Times Colonist(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension5 - Global BC News(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension6 - CTV BC News(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension7 - National Post(link is external)
http://bit.ly/gervais-support-CO - CBC(link is external)
http://bit.ly/bear-cubs-named - Times Colonist(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension8 - CHEK TV(link is external)
http://bit.ly/gervais-support2 - Global News(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension9 - Calgary Sun(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-suspension10 - Huffington Post BC(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-editorial-TC - Times Colonist(link is external)
http://bit.ly/digital-journal-article - Digital Journal (10 must-read articles)(link is external)
http://bit.ly/Q13Fox-bear-cubs  - Q13 Fox (Seattle)(link is external)
http://bit.ly/PRI-bear-cub-story - Public Radio International: The World online(link is external)
http://bit.ly/weather-network-cub-story - Weather Network(link is external)
http://bit.ly/CO-staff-cuts-Global - Global BC News(link is external)
http://bit.ly/black-bear-kills-down - Vancouver Sun(link is external)
http://bit.ly/upworthy-cub-story - Upworthy online story(link is external)
http://www.pqbnews.com/opinion/315039341.html - Parksville-Qualicum News editorial/comments(link is external)
UK Daily Mail story on officer and bear cubs(link is external)

North Island Wildlife Recovery Association fundraising site(link is external)

More information: 

BCGEU donation to bear cubs(link is external)

BCGEU news release on staffing cuts to CO service(link is external)

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE