Dear Sir or Madame, * If the…

Dear Sir or Madame,
* If the spring bear hunt is to continue (and I do not agree with it at all), it should last only 30 days, from June 1 to June 30. This will help protect females with cubs which are often up in a tree and not with their mother while she forages.
* Baiting must not be done at all - why habituate bears to eating food provided by humans? It will only tempt them to move into residential areas, led by the smell of garbage and human/bear interactions will occur with potentially disastrous consequences for both.
* The Ontario Government needs to hire more Conservation Officers to enforce the rules. Information showing an increase in enforcement capability through funding, infrastructure and boots-on-the-ground hires of conservation officers should be made available.
* The government needs to acknowledge that a spring bear hunt is not about community safety as originally stated in 2014. Their own evidence shows that attractants provided by humans (such as smelly garbage) and deliberate feeding cause the bears to become used to humans and this sometimes leads to conflicts.
* Hounds/dogs should not be used to chase, tree or harass bears.
I ask you to carefully consider these points and those made by others opposing the spring bear hunt. For the safety of all. Thank you.