I am strongly opposed to the…

I am strongly opposed to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry proposal to allow new licences and the transfer of existing licences for dog training and trial areas (ERO 019-3685).

This practice is very cruel to captive animals and based on my understanding was scheduled to be phased out for this very reason. While I understand the importance of hunting in limited and appropriate circumstances, wildlife should never be taken from their natural environments and held captive by hunters. This use of penned facilities is akin to "shooting fish in a barrel" except more inhumane.

It would appear that the Government is now going backward by reversing a longstanding policy for the sole purpose of appeasing a very specific interest group, namely a small subset of animal hunters. The proposed change was buried in an omnibus bill and while the Ministry is now seeking comments, the timing of the request for comments, the vagueness of the description of what happens in these facilities and the lack of any data, does not suggest the consultation period is a sincere effort to gauge the public's opinion. I have no doubt that if asked, the majority of the population in Ontario would not sanction this change.

I strongly request that the Government immediately reverse this ill-conceived policy change and in fact cease the operation of any existing facilities as soon as possible. Thank you for considering my comments and please advise me on the outcome of the "consultation".