I agree with various…

I agree with various conservation and wildlife groups, such as Ontario Nature and Earthroots, that oppose the proposed return of the spring bear hunt.
While I am not opposed to ethical and sustainable hunting, I share the view of many Ontarians who believe the proposal is headed in the wrong direction from a conservation standpoint. As the nature organizations have said, females, including nursing mothers, have unfortunately been and will continue to be killed during the spring hunt as some hunters make mistakes. As a result, cubs will be orphaned and that's a justifiable concern on the part of many Ontarians. Although the government prohibits the killing of females accompanied by cubs, it is difficult to enforce the prohibition as a hunter simply has to state that no cubs accompanied the female when she was shot approaching the bait site.
I believe there are ample opportunities to hunt black bears in the fall and there isn't a justifiable reason to allow bears to be killed in the spring. Conservation should always be the foremost concern of the ministry.
I fully support the proposal to eliminate special black bear hunting opportunities for non-resident landowners and non-residents hunting with immediate relatives, as well as measures to address the decline in black bear numbers on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula.
Given the stresses on the population, I urge the government to completely close all bear hunting seasons on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.