The original Fish and…

The original Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1997 sought to reduce the number of train and trial areas and to phase them out (completely) over time. This must have been done for a reason. It must have been because they were deemed no longer necessary. Perhaps the government of the day also recognized that penning wild animals in train and trial areas is inherently cruel. What has changed? The information provided on the proposed amendment does not provide any rationale invalidating the original reasons for phasing out train and trial areas.

As far as I can tell, the hunting lobby, in particular OFAH, has advocated for more facilities to practice their sport, and the current government has listened. And what is this “sport”? Having dogs chase wildlife that have no chance of really escaping and quite possibly being mauled to death. This is not really sport. This is sadism.

The real litmus test of this proposed legislation is to determine whether Ontario is better because of it. The answer is an emphatic “No!” If passed, all this legislation would do is increase the cruelty visited upon wild animals and a few people, the ones advocating for this legislation, will get some enjoyment out of it. Think about that. Let it sink in. The legislation you are proposing will increase the suffering of wild animals so that a small number of people can enjoy themselves. Does that make any sense? Does this government want that as part of its legacy? Nothing good will come from this legislation.

A society can be judged by how it treats animals. Most Ontarians would not want their government to increase animal cruelty, yet that is what this legislation would do. Listen to what most Ontarians would tell you: stick to the original plan of the 1997 act and continue to phase out train and trial areas. Make Ontario better, not worse. Do something most Ontarians would be proud of and remove this proposed legislation.