Proposed Changes to Licensing System are a Step in The Right Direction
Over the last several years, our discussions with MNRF regarding moose and bear hunting have always inevitably led back to the lack of data that is available for them to make sound management decisions. To this end, NOTO has been very vocal about extending their data sources beyond our tourism industry by enforcing mandatory reporting from residents. Resident hunters have had mandatory reporting with no consequences. As we all know, evading mandatory reporting for the tourism industry has serious consequences.
These proposed changes to the automated licensing system, shows us that our efforts have not fallen flat. One component of the proposed changes includes adding the mandatory reporting to the licensing system for resident hunters and tying it to the ability to purchase a hunting license. We have also encouraged MNRF that they must be more transparent with their data collection and educate all hunters about how vital good, honest date is for proper management of our wildlife.
There is a second component that we believe is positive for our industry. It proposes to make it easier to obtain game seals by allowing them to be printed once purchased from the system. Some of the details about affixing these printed seals are still being discussed and we will keep abreast to ensure they are practical for our guests. We encourage you to take a close read of this and let us know whether you feel this is a positive step forward.
The deadline to make comment on the EBR is July 28th. It is very important to comment on the EBR. We need to provide feedback whether we have negative OR positive comments to share. We need to give them an understanding of whether we support proposals or not. Often, we focus on submitting comments when we don’t like something but we need to be prepared to provide support of proposals on the EBR when they warrant it.
We implore that you read the EBR posting at: www.ontario.ca/environmentalregistry ER# 013-0487. You are encouraged to share with us any input you make on the EBR and to reach out to us to discuss any aspect of the proposed changes that may be of concern to you. MNRF has contacted us and is interested in hearing if our industry would like any clarification, so if you have questions about this proposal, send them to us and we will share them with MNRF anonymously.
The changes are explained more in this video.
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