Arviat, Nunavut, is increasing its safety measures by launching around-the-clock polar bear monitoring following a record number of wildlife encounters in 2025. Mayor Joe Savikataaq Jr. announced that four new bear monitors will join the existing team of two conservation officers to patrol the community at all hours.
The decision follows a difficult season between mid-September and December 2025, when the community recorded 508 polar bear interactions. During that same timeframe, the local emergency polar bear line received 166 urgent calls. These encounters involve adult male bears that can reach 3 metres in length and weigh up to 590 kilograms.
The surge in activity is linked to delayed sea ice formation on Hudson Bay. In 2025, the area experienced an ice-free period of 172 days, the second-longest duration recorded since 1979. Because the bears rely on sea ice to hunt seals, the prolonged wait forced them to remain near Arviat longer than usual as they migrated through the region.
The WWF-Canada has partnered with the community for over a decade to manage these risks through the Polar Bear Deterrence Program. Before the program began, an average of eight bears were killed annually in the community due to safety concerns. That figure has since dropped to approximately one per year. Monitors currently use a variety of tools, including loud noises, fencing, and traps for relocation, to keep bears away from populated areas.
Community safety remains a priority following a fatal incident on July 3, 2018. On that day, 31-year-old Aaron Gibbons was killed by a polar bear on Sentry Island, located about 10 kilometres offshore from Arviat, while he was protecting his children. That event, which marked the first fatal attack in Western Hudson Bay since 1999, highlighted the ongoing need for effective deterrence strategies in the region.
