This is to express my…

This is to express my outrage to Schedule 14, Bill 91, Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act, 2023. Apart from the fact that the Walkerton water crises of 23 years ago should have taught the Conservative Party that “red tape”, aka regulations, can be essential, and in addition to learning that the party’s current leader is a liar, for reneging on his promises to protect the Greenbelt, I now have confirmation that he is just plain cruel.
I currently live in a small city but I still own the rural property where I used to live, adjacent to farmland, and I can tell you that while my own acreage was far too small to be affected, my farming neighbors were too often distressed by hunters trespassing on their lands in pursuit of hounds chasing foxes, coyotes, or whatever. That Mr. Ford wants to assist such criminals by increasing their ability to train scent hounds is bad enough. That he does so because they currently break the law seems to assume that miraculously the slob hunters who find fun harassing wild animals (who by law belong to me, too!), will suddenly reform, is stupidly naïve.
But worse, the proposed legislation pits large numbers of dogs against any given coyote, fox, or rabbit, reducing the likelihood that the terrified “prey” cannot find whatever shelter might exist in time to escape being torn up alive (as happens in chases on public and private lands – there being no effective enforcement against it). The kind of scum who enjoy this sort of thing are no different than those who attend cockfights, or would attend public executions if they could, the truly sicko slob hunters who give real outdoorsmen a black eye.
I did not even know about this until quite recently. The government seems to be inundating us with bad choices and hoping we don’t notice, and while I am not usually the kind to speak out, enough is enough. This is brutal. What is wrong with a man who would seek votes by allowing and encouraging actions that lead to innocent animals being terrified, being torn apart, in order to what – gain some votes? Mike Harris was right to end the practice but erred in not doing so completely, by allowing it to die out by attrition.
In addition to his cruelty and his lying, Mr. Ford treats voters as fools by putting into this horrible proposal the stipulation that animals injured be taken to veterinarians. My daughter works for a small animal veterinarian clinic and she can assure you that even people who love and care for animals find it hard to meet the cost of veterinarian bills for their beloved pets – are we really supposed to think someone willing to see a live animal torn to pieces by attacking dogs will take an animal for veterinarian care? Their own dogs, maybe, if it makes economic sense to do so (I have had dogs all my life and would never subject one to this sort of thing) but not a wild animal. I would urge in strongest terms to completely reject this horrible, sick idea and at the very least return to what the Harris government decides while increasing funding for enforcement of animal cruelty laws.
But what’s the use. This bill has already been tabled, and the ERO process is clearly a sham, another way Mr. Ford shows his dictatorial contempt for the citizens he governs. Shame on Mr. Ford, shame on his party.