I strongly oppose the…

I strongly oppose the Ministry of Natural Resource proposal to allow new licenses and the transfer of existing licenses for dog training and trial areas in Ontario.

The practice of capturing wildlife, enclosing it in pens, and using it as bait to train dogs is inhumane, cruel, and barbaric by modern day standards. The 1997 decision disallowing the creation of new facilities recognized this.

Not only should new licenses not be issued, but the twenty-four existing facilities in Ontario should be closed immediately. These facilities provide no benefits for the majority of Ontarians who support our natural environment and the wildlife that lives there and shares it with us.

Our wildlife should not be sacrificed at the expense of such a very small interest group. Other humane methods are available to those intent on training dogs for these purposes. These facilities should not exist in Ontario.

I consider this a regressive proposal for our province.