Despite an increase in the hunting quota, some people in Arviat, Nunavut say polar bears are still a major problem for the community.

James Tagalik lives in the Western Hudson Bay hamlet of about 2,000 people. He says recently, students have been chased by bears on their way home from school.

There have been reports of polar bears chasing students on their way home from school in Arviat, Nunavut. The Canadian Press

"They don’t put the bears down, they just scare them away with bear bangers. One of these days we are going to wake up to someone getting mauled and then the next thing you will see every bear that comes into town, within the town limits going to get shot,” he said.

Problem bears in Arviat have been a long-standing concern for people there. Tagalik believes there are at least 10 bears surrounding the hamlet at any one time.

In 2008, a polar bear chased two teens down one of the community's streets.

The hamlet set up its own polar bear monitoring, and it has tried to scare the bears away with non-violent deterrents such as bear bangers and flares.

Last month Nunavut Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk announced an increase in the allowable harvest, from eight to 21 bears in the Western Hudson Bay area.

The tags were split evenly between Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove and Arviat.