GOVERNMENT BOTCHES BEAR HUNT RETURN
QUEEN’S PARK – Outfitters in Northern Ontario are seeing red after the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry botched the return of the spring bear hunt. The forms that the Ministry issues to outfitters for non-resident hunters, known as Form 33s, were severely reduced ahead of this year’s hunt. The result of this blatant oversight and lack of communication has left outfitters scrambling to cancel guided hunts, taking thousands of dollars out of their wallets.
“Hunting and tourism are major industries in Northern Ontario. The government’s decision here has the potential to cripple dozens of Northern businesses,” said Progressive Conservative Natural Resources and Forestry Critic Todd Smith. “A paper by the Northern Policy Institute said that the spring hunt ‘would generate significant revenue for the province, and for Northern Ontario in particular.’ But it won’t if the government harms the ability of Northern outfitters to attract hunters.”
In some cases, outfitters were give the same number of forms to cover both the spring and fall bear hunts and, in other cases, outfitters were actually given a reduced number of forms to cover both seasons. The shoddy rollout, Smith noted, is particularly disappointing coming from a Minister who introduced a bill to bring back the hunt in 2013.
“The Minister introduced a bill in 2013 to bring back the spring bear hunt saying it was important to the North, but his Ministry absolutely botched its responsibility to Northerners when it came to making sure the hunt was properly administered,” Smith added. “Northerners deserve a hunt that will bring significant tourism dollars to their local economies, but instead outfitters will get a black eye as they are forced to cancel hunts because of the Ministry’s lack of oversight.”
The government can still fix the problem, according to Smith, as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is responsible for issuing the forms to outfitters.
“The Minister needs to take a hard look at how many Form 33s are issued for the hunting season because the half measures and clawbacks are only going to hurt Northern businesses,” Smith concluded. “He knows recreational tourism is a significant Northern industry and it deserves better treatment from this government.”