I am asking the Ontario…

I am asking the Ontario government to cancel the province's Spring Bear Hunt completely. There was no legitimate rationale for partial reinstatement of the spring bear hunt by the previous government and there is none now. Please, do not follow through with this misguided plan.

Most Ontarians do not hunt, nor do they support sport hunting. In fact, most Ontarians want our public lands to be free of violence.

The spring hunt targets mother bears who's death would leave cubs to starve to death. There is no justification for this cruel act. No person needs to hunt in the spring. I implore the government to reinstate the ban to protect vulnerable cubs.

The erroneous suggestion by some that black bears are becoming too numerous or that they pose any kind of elevated danger to humans is baseless and not supported by evidence.

I urge the Ontario government to follow the lead of former Premier Mike Harris who put aside the special interests of hunting lobbyists in favour of following the science and the views of the majority of Ontarians.

A modern province can develop a better tourism plan than inviting non-resident sport hunters who enjoy killing wildlife, animals who have little hope of escape, onto our mutually owned public lands. Ontario’s forests belong to all of us, not just to the businesses and organizations that profit by the killing of our wild animals.