The B-C government has immediately halted all hunting for grizzly bears in the province. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson and Environment Minister George Heyman made the announcement, saying the ban begins right away for resident and non-resident hunters. First Nations will still be permitted to harvest grizzly bears for food, social, or ceremonial purposes, or to meet treaty rights. There are an estimated 15-thousand grizzlies in B-C and the government says hunting the huge bears is no longer socially acceptable — a decision Green party spokesman Adam Olsen calls a “momentous accomplishment.”