Overall, this looks quite…

Overall, this looks quite good. I particularly love that no sport hunting or fishing, and no commercial trapping will be permitted in this park. An urban provincial park will protect the Oak Ridges Moraine and will provide crucial wildlife habitat.

My one concern is the “control” or “management” of “hyperabundant” wildlife, or individual animals being “controlled” to “protect human health, species health, or to protect park values or ecological integrity”. “Hyperabundance” is subjective. What does one consider “too many animals”? We don't just cull humans because they are a "nuisance" or are too large in number. Further, such killing of animals doesn’t reduce the numbers in the long term. Municipalities such as Montreal kill deer year after year with no real long-lasting results. However, what does result is a great deal of suffering both for the animals who are killed and the babies left behind, as well as a waste of taxpayer dollars that could be used on humane and effective alternatives like “deer spas” (lint roller feeders that remove ticks) and contraceptives like Spay Vac. Animals should not be “controlled” (i.e., trapped and/or shot) because they don’t follow arbitrary “park values”. Let's stop being in conflict with the natural world; let's instead embrace and co-exist alongside it. If animals are in an ecosystem, they are there for a reason.

I don't want my tax dollars used to harm other species.

With regard to so-called health and safety concerns, there are a myriad of wildlife rehabilitation centres across the province that provide medical care, as well as the National Wildlife Centre in Caledon, which is a state-of-the-art wildlife hospital. These organizations can handle any animal health and safety concerns which could crop up.

Thank you for considering my comment.