As a non-resident land owner…

As a non-resident land owner of Ontario property I oppose the elimination of bear hunting for land owners without the use of a licensed bear operator. I believe that i am a stakeholder in this due to the money I have invested in the buying of the land that I own and the years of taxes I have paid as well as the money I have spent on maintaining my cabin and outbuildings.

As it stands now a non- resident can only get one bear a year and can only receive a validation certificate for one season (either spring or fall) if they choose the spring hunt and do not harvest a bear their license is still valid, but unusable unless they go through a bear hunting outfitter for a validation certificate.

The only group this regulation to improve fairness appears to favor is the bear hunting outfitter and does not take into consideration the rest of the Ontario businesses and their workers used by the non-residents, such as fuel station owners, grocery store owners, lumber and hardware store owners, retailers of bait for fishing and bears, and the small Mom and Pop stores used for forgotten items.

I pay a person to maintain and watch over my place while I am away, I have the Hydro left on year around to which I receive a monthly bill that I pay in advance, I pay my Taxes as soon as the bill arrives and I am sure I am paying way more than it would cost to pay a licensed outfitter. As a non-resident land owner I am already unable to deer hunt my land and taking away bear hunting will make me rethink whether it is worth having a place in Ontario at all. Thank You