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March 8, 2007
Truth a
casualty in MNR debate
Eldon Hawton, president of
Friends of Fur
/ The Sudbury Star
- www.thesudburystar.com
Re: MNR unimpressed by fundraiser to help it buy
fuel - Feb. 22.
The context of The Sudbury Star front page
article begs an answer to some seriously
important questions. Is somebody not telling the
truth, or is the notion true that the millions
of dollars needed to deal with Ontario's
increasing nuisance bear problems are draining
Ministry of Natural Resources funding, leaving
scarcely enough money for basic needs, let alone
other important wildlife management programs?
Over the past couple of years, internal
communication and most outdoor publications
throughout Ontario have discussed and reported
on conservationists wrestling with the question:
MNR funding is in jeopardy; therefore, what can
we do collectively or as individuals to help
save the MNR?
The lack of funding excuse has been repeated by
MNR wildlife branch civil servants as a natural
rejection to requests for wildlife management
needs. Important moose management surveys have
been postponed or cancelled (no funding). MNR
contact offices have been closed and
consolidated with other services, leaving
outdoors people with poorly informed people to
speak with (hard to get accurate answers to
important questions). The list goes on.
The consistent message to the outdoors community
is that if it costs money, don't even bother to
ask.
Conservation groups, clubs and individuals have
listened to these repeated messages and want to
help as much as they can, the very reason these
and other such fundraisers have spawned.
Yet in this story, Jolanta Kowalski, senior
information officer with the ministry in
Toronto, said the ministry has the money it
needs. Is this true? Or is this simply used for
convenience to save face and avoid any
embarrassment of accepting this well-intentioned
donation.
The wildlife branch says the MNR does not have
the funding for basic needs, let alone wildlife
management. So, who's telling the truth?
In the story, Kowalski, said the ministry can't
accept money from the public. Is this true?
Seems to me that the money used to fund the
government and the subsequent MNR wildlife
management programs comes from the public
through taxes.
We need a minister of Natural Resources who
cares enough about enhancing Ontario's social,
economic and wildlife management benefits, to
stand up in caucus on behalf of the outdoors
community and fight for the needed funding to
properly manage these extremely important
valuable resources.
We don't need a government that, rather than
listening to scientific facts, acts on
questionable information at the whim of animal
rights groups and refuses to grant our MNR these
important, basic, necessary and reasonable
requests.
Unless voters elect trustworthy and
knowledgeable MPPs willing to act based on
scientific facts on wildlife management
decisions, Ontario's wildlife management
programs may be destined to rely on the slim
pickings of charitable donations.
Eldon Hawton, president of Friends of Fur
North Bay
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