Father of 2020 Saskatchewan bear attack victim ‘heartbroken’ over latest fatal encounter

The father of a woman who died in a bear attack in 2020 says his heart goes out to the family and friends of the 27-year-old man who died in a bear encounter northeast of Points North Landing last Friday.

According to a news release issued by Uranium X Discovery Corporation, the 27-year-old man mauled and killed by the bear was an independent contractor. His name has not been released. The company said it is co-operating with local authorities, wildlife officials and government agencies. The attack happened at Uranium X Discovery’s Zoo Bay property, where operations are now on hold.

Read more:

• Sask. government, company release new details about fatal bear attack
• Environment ministry urges Saskatchewan to be ‘bear aware’ this spring
• Sask. father describes being on phone with daughter during fatal bear attack

Speaking from his home in Meota, Sask., northwest of the Battlefords, Hubert Esquirol said he learned about the fatal incident through the news.

“You always wonder about the circumstances,” he said.

“It’s indeed a tragedy to lose such a young person, but usually these events are followed by an investigation, and the investigation might shed more light on this incident.”

In 2020, Esquirol’s 44-year-old daughter Stephanie Blais was speaking on a satellite phone with him while the family was at their cabin at McKie Lake, near Buffalo Narrows, in late August.

“She called me to tell me that the water line hadn’t been working and that her husband had fixed it. She then told her son, Eli, to run inside and grab an antenna,” Esquirol explained.

He said those were the last words he ever heard his daughter say. A short time later, he heard distorted gurgling sounds over the phone. Less than 10 minutes later, Esquirol said he got a call from Blais’ husband, Curtis.

“He called me and told me that Stephanie had been attacked by a bear. The bear wouldn’t let go, so he shot the bear until it let go,” Esquirol said.

An investigation into the attack found that it was unprovoked, the bear was not hungry and nothing more could have been done to prevent Blais’ death.

Esquirol wondered whether the late winter and heavy snow pack in northern Saskatchewan this year had anything to do with the latest fatal attack in the province. He said that might have left bears hungrier than they normally are at this time of year.

He also said it could just be “a bad bear” that caused the death.

“I’m really heartbroken, because I’ve gone through exactly what they’re going through,” he added.

Esquirol said that the risk of dangerous wildlife encounters is always present for those who work, live or spend a lot of time in remote areas.

“Unfortunately, some of the risks are tragedies,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate.”