Northern Ontario Environmental Issues
What some have said of this campaign
Love it or hate it, agree or
disagree, it's making some noise
"For many years, the MNR claimed that the
black bear population was stable in Ontario. If the spring hunt was
truly responsible for "culling" 2500 bears, then it stands to reason
that the numbers would go up after cancellation of the hunt. They will
go up until they surpass what the territory will sustain and then there
will be at least 2500 bears a year starving to death. The ones to starve
first would be the nursing mothers, hence the rise in number of orphan
cubs. Starving bears become problem bears as they will get bolder as
they get hungrier.
If the MNR was right for all those years and the population was truly
stable, it seems to me that the number culled each spring was probably
correct to maintain a stable population."
"I know I have to live with them. I know
I have to co-exist with them, I know they have as much right here as I
do because I choose to live here.
One thing I didn't do......Destroy their habitat to the point where they
cannot exist.
So I'm for the re-introduction of Black Bear to Southern Ontario.
We should all enjoy this great (big) animal."
"The scary part is, now that the government is involved, this bear
relocation program could actually happen. I know at first glance a plan
to move bears from the wilds of Northern Ontario to the shopping malls
of Southern Ontario appears to be the stupidest idea since the wooden
submarine but trust me, people with strong opinions and weak minds are
capable of causing some of the most chilling acts of lunacy imaginable.
Case in point, Premier Dalton McGinty. Exactly how did that
happen?....And this is Southern Ontario responding in kind to Northern
Ontario: "Thanks but we were really hoping for a crate of blueberries."
- William Thomas
Monday February 21, 2005 - The Tillsonburg News
"Oh ya... here's some videos of "cute"
bears...
http://www.ontariofishingreels.com/longlake1.mpg
http://www.ontariofishingreels.com/longlake2.mpg
http://www.ontariofishingreels.com/longlake3.mpg
Also ... my kids are scared to camp in my own yard now because of the
bear I blew away on my porch.... never in 25 years of residence here did
we have bear problems until one year after the cancellation of the bear
hunt."
Webmaster's note: These are very
unpleasant to watch, be warned.
"A good friend, lives near Sudbury, has
been working with bears for over 20 years now. In the spring, this nut I
call a friend, crawls into bear dens to weigh and check on the health of
the new cubs. He probably knows more about bears than all of us put
together. Anyway, I asked him just a few minutes ago, about this bear
thing and here some interesting notes:
Immediately after the end of the spring bear hunt the population and
number of orphan cubs increased rapidly for a couple of years. The
number of nuisance bears was also up, peaking in 2001. My friend is not
at all sure however if this was directly related to the spring hunt
closure.
However in the last two years, he claims,
nuisance bear problems in the Sudbury area have actually gone down and
the overall bear population is near 1997 levels. This is not from guest
work, but comes from controlled counts. "
"David Ramsay was on CBC radio on
Thursday morning and for the second time since he has been Minister of
Natural Resources, he said that he will not reinstate the spring bear
hunt because if he does, the antis will go after other forms of hunting.
So now we all know why the spring bear hunt is not being reinstated. It
has nothing to do with orphaned bear cubs, science, biology and
everything to do with blackmail.
What a wonderful way to manage wildlife."
"We have had bears in southern Ontario
for years. They are on the Bruce Peninsula, and every so often one is
spotted further south. Last year there were reported sightings of one at
the kettle Point reserve about 2Km north of me."
"Up here parents wait for the school bus
with their kids. Rural areas. But right in Thunder bay, dead center of
town (pop. 113,000) cops are shooting bears."
"As long as within hunting season, I see
of no law preventing bear from being live-trapped and transferred to
southern Ontario. The Federal Fisheries Act prevents fish transfers, but
does anyone know of any law preventing a trap and transfer project of
bear? Presently bear are being trapped and transferred from
municipalities.....but does it matter where they end up?
Also, I believe that municipalities can override MNR jurisdiction for
safety and noise reasons (that's how they pas no-discharge of firearms
bylaws in the south) which override MNR's authority. So why can't
municipalities organize hunts/shoots due to safety issues associated
with bear?
Then everyone wins, since MNR is off the hook re blackmail by the anti's
since it isn't them organizing the hunt. Municipalities win by selling
licenses and decreasing the bear population. Hunters win by taking
getting bear meat/rugs."
"Here's a great idea... how do you get
Southern Ontario Urbanites to listen to a problem we have up here in
Northern Ontario that they created.
Its easy... use their same arguments against them and create the same
problem we have for THEM!!
... seems the black bear used to roam freely across the southern portion
of our province... so if we can reintroduce elk up North here... and if
its ok to reintroduce wild turkey for the hunters... and if we are so
concerned with the Black Bear mayhap we should expand its range as
well."
"I think the people in Northern Ontario
have to start being pro active. The nuisance bear problem is going to
get worse every year and the bears are becoming much more aggressive.
The government received 14,000 nuisance bear calls last year, and they
are proud and said that Bear Watch is working. The nuts are running the
nut house."
