It was clear in ERO 019-0405…

It was clear in ERO 019-0405 that the only persons the Ministry consulted in the formation of this proposal were hunters and those who benefit financially from them. This is neither an appropriate nor ethical method of forming wildlife policy in Ontario. It should not be the policy of an Ontario Government Agency to formulate policy which runs contrary to the views and values of most of Ontario's citizens.

The cruelty of hunting, using ATVs, calf hunting, party hunting which will likely include alcohol and peer pressure, and the intensive fear sustained in wildlife during the prolonged hunting periods are all ignored by your Ministry, and display a lack of compassion and humanity which is a part of most citizens of Ontario. Cruelty to animals is not accepted as normal or valuable in our 21st Century society, and the vast majority of Ontario citizens do not support it.

The BGMAC report provides no population data for wolves, coyotes or moose. It also provides no data on the number of animals killed by hunters. This report appears to have no scientific support, since it cites no studies or scientific research papers which would support its recommendations. It is therefore despicable that instead of seeking science-based recommendations and clarification from BGMAC, your Ministry has posted this exact recommendation on the province’s Environmental Registry for public comment. Before any recommendation is considered, unbiased scientific research should always be conducted! Otherwise, your Ministry holds no credibility or ethical validity.

The only other rational conclusion one can draw from the proposed changes to the hunting of coyotes, wolves and moose is that hunters want the moose for themselves, and not for the natural predators of moose, and their demand for moose hunting supercedes any concern they should have for the either the animals or their ecology.

If you believe that the moose population is too low, you should be addressing the activities that are known to affect moose, like ATV use, the length of the hunting season and the hunting of calves.

I urgently request that you listen to the facts and not those who treat our wilderness dwellers as disposable.

I profoundly urge you to consider the ethics of this proposal, and then, instead, move to implement a strategy that will protect the moose population by:

.Phasing out calf hunting;
.Limiting the use of all-terrain vehicles during the hunt;
.Ending party hunting and reducing the length of the hunt to 4 weeks;
.Continuing to monitor moose populations in relation to the changing climate; and
.Managing habitat at the ecosystem level to protect all moose and other wild species, monitor the
effects of climate change on all wildlife, including range changes, increased parasite loads, altered
vegetation, invasive plant species and wildfire patterns.
Thank you.