I am writing to express my…

I am writing to express my opinion that the spring black bear hunt NOT become a permanent fixture in Ontario.

During the springtime female bears with cubs must be protected and that is difficult as cubs are frequently treed or kept away from the mother while she forages. If anything, the current season of May 1 to June 15 should be changed to June 1 to June 30 to protect females with cubs as well as the cubs themselves.

Baiting should not take place; if it will, baiting must end when the season concludes and not begin again until shortly before the fall season and more stringent limits must be put in place to protect recreationalists, drivers, property owners, pets and others from bait piles that attract wildlife. All bait sites should be registered to ensure compliance.

The use of hounds/dogs to chase, tree and/or otherwise harass bears should be immediately halted.

Also the government must make an acknowledgement that a spring bear hunt is not about community safety as originally stated in 2014 in the face of their own evidence showing it does not impact human conflict with bears; education and enforcement of human behaviour, attractants and feeding will have the greatest impact on mitigating and preventing conflict.