Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/7/2011 (3372 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WILDERNESS guides, research scientists and soldiers on sovereignty missions to the Arctic already pack guns for self-defence when they're in national parks with polar bears.

Parks Canada issued a notice Thursday to legally recognize the safety precaution, now a policy.

However, tourists will still have to leave their firepower at home under the wildlife regulations proposed by Parks Canada.

"This isn't targeted at visitors to carry firearms. It's targeted at specific classes of people who provide protection in polar bear parks. We're not providing an opportunity for visitors to be armed," senior Parks Canada official Rob Prosper said from Ottawa.

There are 10 national parks with polar bears in Nunavut, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Manitoba.

Notice of the changes coincided with news reports of fatal bear attacks but is not related to them.

"This is not driven by recent events. Polar bears are entirely different beasts from grizzly and black bears and, as a result, there is an increased risk of dangerous encounters," said Prosper, Parks Canada's executive director for northern Canada.

Taking aim down a rifle barrel is still a last resort but, with more people moving around the Arctic, there are greater risks of bear encounters, so the measures address that new reality.

"Polar bears don't differentiate people from seals," he said. Seals are the tastiest dining choice on a polar bear's menu.

A background policy document posted on Parks Canada's website lists seven groups that carry arms now and would get official recognition for the practice under the new regulations.

The groups include military missions as Ottawa takes a higher profile in asserting Canada's claims to Arctic sovereignty and scientists on extended research in polar bear parks.

Others who carry arms now and would also get official recognition include commercial and sport-hunting guides, bear monitors and guides who are beneficiaries under aboriginal, Inuit and First Nations land claims.

Parks Canada's wildlife regulations were last updated in 1997. Public consultation wraps up in December. To take part, click on http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/nature/consultations-animaux-animals.aspx

alexandra paul@freepress.mb.ca