Updates to the list of municipalities permitting Sunday gun hunting

At the request of four municipalities, we have amended O. Reg. 663/98: Area Descriptions under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 to update the list of areas where Sunday gun hunting is permitted to include the Municipality of Brighton and Township of Perth South in 2021 and the Town of East Gwillimbury and the Township of West Lincoln in 2023.

Background

Prior to 2006, most of the Sunday hunting regulations were implemented in the 1950s. Gun and archery hunting on Sundays was allowed in northern Ontario, as well as archery hunting on Sundays in southern Ontario and gun hunting on Sundays in 25 municipalities in the southern part of the province. Those municipalities specifically requested that Sunday gun hunting be allowed in their areas.

Populations of many wildlife species in Ontario are healthy. While this is generally good news, there are some local instances where the public has expressed concern regarding the impact of abundant wildlife on habitat degradation, wildlife health, animal/vehicle collisions, and agricultural crop and livestock damage. The agricultural community, including farmers and other landowners, have requested Sunday gun hunting be allowed as a beneficial and cost-effective means of helping address local concerns.

The environmentally significant aspects of this regulation were considered during consultation with municipalities and the public on a proposal to expand areas where Sunday gun hunting could occur during the spring through fall of 2005. During this period, over 230 municipalities in southern Ontario were asked to advise of their interest in permitting Sunday gun hunting within their areas and were told that Sunday gun hunting would not be allowed in their area unless requested.

As a result, a notice of proposal was posted on the ERO -RB05E6807 from October 20, 2005 to November 21, 2005 proposing to add 67 municipalities and 14 geographic townships to the existing 25 municipalities where Sunday gun hunting could occur.

Ontario Regulation 24/06 was filed with the registrar of Regulations on February 6, 2006. These changes took effect on September 1, 2006 and enacted the proposal above adding the 67 additional municipalities and 14 geographic townships to a new schedule in Ontario Regulation 663/98: Area Descriptions of where Sunday gun hunting is permitted. Currently, over 180 southern Ontario municipalities have been listed in this regulation.

Ongoing list of municipalities

Since that time, there have been 26 amending regulations in response to requests from municipalities to be added to the list of areas where Sunday gun hunting is permitted:

• O. Reg. 393/06 which came into effect on August 18, 2006 (Registry Number RB06E6009) added 20 additional municipalities and all or part of 4 geographic townships to the list of where Sunday gun hunting is permitted and removed two municipalities from the list
• O. Reg. 80/07 filed with the registrar of Regulations on March 6, 2007. These changes took effect on March 30, 2007, added 20 additional municipalities to the list of where Sunday gun hunting is permitted
• O. Reg. 357/07 which came into effect September 1, 2007, added 13 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 280/08 which came into effect September 1, 2008 added 12 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 72/09 which came into effect April 1, 2009 added 2 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 282/09 which came into effect September 1, 2009 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg.124/10 which came into effect April 1, 2010 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 329/10 which came into effect September 1, 2010 added 5 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 63/11 which came into effect April 1, 2011 added 1 municipality to the list
• O. Reg. 401/11 which came into effect September 1, 2011 added 4 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 39/12 which came into effect April 1, 2012 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 237/12 which came into effect September 1, 2012 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 232/13 which came into effect on September 1, 2013 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 67/14 which came into effect on April 1, 2014 added 4 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 160/14 which came into effect on September 1, 2014 added 4 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 60/15 which came into effect on April 1, 2015 added 1 municipality to the list
• O. Reg. 242/15 which came into effect on September 1, 2015 added 1 municipality to the list
• O. Reg. 42/16 which came into effect on April 1, 2016 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 288/16 which came into effect September 1, 2016 added 5 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 334/17 which came into effect September 1, 2017 added 2 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 54/18 which came into effect April 1, 2018 added 1 municipality to the list
• O. Reg. 36/19 which came into effect April 1, 2019 added 1 municipality to the list
• O. Reg. 293/19 which came into effect September 1, 2019 added 1 municipality to the list
• O. Reg. 454/20 which came into effect September 1, 2020 added 3 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 575/21 which came into effect September 1, 2021, added 2 municipalities to the list
• O. Reg. 309/23 which came into effect September 1, 2023, added 2 municipalities to the list