What I heard from friends who are in environmental science is that bears haven't had enough of food this summer, and they are coming closer to people in search for last bits of food before hibernating.
From that point, I do not think bear population exploded, but everybody should be cautious as they could be more agressive.
In general I would visit any of government sites with bear advices (bc parks site, ....) and look for answers. When I go for my hikes, I try to follow all bear precautions. I would offer following suggestions, but there are many more, make noise as you move, do not wipe your hands dirty from fish or food off your clothes, be very well avare of your surroundings, never panic (I have been very close to bears - 20-30 feet but not being attacked), never run away from any black bear, make your self big if bear starts approaching (jump on the log), always face the bear, fight back if attacked by a black bear (I never tested this so you have to take this with a pinch of doubt), maybe invest in a paper spray ? - all this and many other advices apply to black bears only - grizzlies are different ball game.
The most important advice - spend some time in researching for the material on bear safety on internet on somewhere else. Do not be arrogant, and blame the animal. We are intruding their natural habitat, they are stronger, and we should give them a respect.