I do not support making the…

I do not support making the spring bear hunt permanent. It should never been started in 2014.

I have a cottage on Grace Lake, just south of Algonquin Park. I’ve owned my cottage for 25 years & have noticed a decline in the number of bears I have seen. They have never been a problem when I hike in the bush. I have never been bothered by a bear or any wildlife. I use to enjoy seeing the occasional bear around my cottage. If it got too close to the bird feeder, I’d sing a song. The bear wouldn’t be able to identify the sound, so would scoot off. I’ve never had any damage to my property from a bear.

For the past 8 or more years, I have not sited a bear around the cottage or in the bush. There haven’t been any tracks in the snow at the north shore of Grace Lake either. So sad. I know there is a hunt lodge on Yankton Lake just north & west of Grace Lake. This could be the reason the population of bears has decreased.

Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice said; “hunters struggle to distinguish between male & female bears, even at close range; this is a death warrant for innocent baby bear cubs who will be orphaned & die when their mothers are gunned down by hunters after emerging from hibernation in the spring. It’s deeply disappointing that the current government has so little regard for the majestic creatures with whom we share this province.”

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner of Guelph states, “Hunting of any species cannot be driven purely by economic interests and should only be considered if the population is healthy. Consultations must include First Nations, scientists and conservationists.”

We should also have enough sense to acknowledge that human long term survival is dependent on a vibrant biosphere rich in life and diversity; if that disappears, then so do humans as well as many plants, birds, animals & insects. Decreasing the population of bears will have a negative affect on the biosphere.

I am hoping that the government of Ontario will stop the spring black bear hunt.

Concerned citizen of Ontario/Canada