An email update from Eldon Hawton, President
Friends of Fur
www.friends-of-fur.org
---------------------------------------------
Dear Mister Minister,
The context of the Sudbury Star front page article (copy below) titled "MNR
unimpressed by fundraiser to help it buy fuel" begs an answer to some
seriously important questions. Is somebody not telling the truth (lying)? Or
is the notion true that the millions of dollars needed to deal with
Ontario's increasing nuisance bear problems (largely due to another Liberal
MPP"s broken election promise to reinstate the spring bear hunt) are
draining MNR funding, leaving scarcely enough money for basic needs let
alone other important wildlife management programs?
Over the past couple of years perhaps every meeting, internal communication
and most outdoor publications throughout Ontario has 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 to nausea by MNR Wildlife
Branch civil servants as a natural rejection to requests for wildlife
management needs. Important moose management surveys postponed or cancelled
(no funding). MNR contact offices 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 and
on and on... The consistent message to the outdoors community; 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 that these and other such fundraisers have spawned.
Yet in this story "Kowalski said the ministry has the money it needs." Is
this true? Or is this simply another lie used for convenience to save face
and avoid any perceived embarrassment of accepting this well intentioned
charitable donation. Wildlife Branch is saying that MNR does not have the
funding for basic needs, let alone wildlife management, meanwhile your
office is saying "the ministry has the money it needs? So who's lying or who
is telling the truth?
The story further reports, "However, Jolanta Kowalski, senior information
officer with the ministry in Toronto, said the ministry can't accept money
from the public." Is this true? Seems to me that all the money used to fund
the government and the subsequent MNR wildlife management programs comes
from the public through TAXES! We all get our pockets picked one way or
another by the tax man. Therefore;
I believe that we the public need a Minister of Natural Resources that 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 any Minister of MNR who won't do that! In
turn we also don't need any government who 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!
Until and unless we the voters elect trustworthy, knowledgeable and wise
politicians to form the next provincial government willing to act
accordingly to scientific facts on wildlife management decisions, Ontario's
wildlife management programs may be destined to rely on the slim pickings of
charitable donations as such.
Sincerely,
Eldon Hawton, President
Friends of Fur
www.friends-of-fur.org
Box 23007
North Bay ON
P1A 4K6
705 670 8014 weekdays
705 472 7369 weekends
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MNR unimpressed by fundraiser to help it buy fuel
Sudbury Star (ON)
Thu 22 Feb 2007
Page: A1
Section: Front
Byline: Harold Carmichael
Source:
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources says it appreciates the gesture,
but no thanks, just the same.
Regardless, local hunting, fishing and conservation clubs are going ahead
with plans to hold a fundraising bake sale March 3 at the Brockdan Hotel in
Sudbury's south end to help pay for gasoline for trucks used by ministry
conservation officers.
The bake sale will be modelled after similar fundraisers held in North Bay
and South Porcupine with the same goal in mind.
The ministry turned down the money raised in each case, citing an attempt to
embarrass the ministry publicly, said Andy Zandarin, past president of the
Copper Cliff Rod and Gun Club, who is spearheading the fundraiser.
Zandarin said there are far fewer conservation officers than in the past and
they also are limited to spending $100 on gasoline a week per vehicle.
That's not right, said Zandarin, because the public relies heavily on
conservation officers to protect fish and game against poachers.
"The province is depending on the general public to turn poachers in," he
said. "Can you imagine if the Ontario Provincial Police depended on the
general public to turn in speeders? Our highways would look like a wrecking
yard."
Zandarin said he learned about the predicament conservation officers face
through Freedom of Information Act requests. He said that in 1992, the
ministry had 257 conservation officers, but today only has 199, with 26
assigned to special investigation work.
As well, conservation officers used to have a $300 weekly gasoline budget.
Zandarin said he plans to take the bake sale money to the annual meeting of
the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in March that Natural
Resources Minister David Ramsay is expected to attend. When it's question
time following the minister's speech, Zandarin said he will ask Ramsay to
accept the money raised in Sudbury and forward it for gasoline purposes.
However, Jolanta Kowalski, senior information officer with the ministry in
Toronto, said the ministry can't accept money from the public.
"We couldn't even if we wanted to," she said. "There's no mechanism to
handle donations of that type."
To accept such a donation, Kowalski said, money would have to be directed to
the Treasurer of Ontario and go into the consolidated revenue fund. Then,
the Ontario Legislature would have to pass legislation earmarking that money
for the Ministry of Natural Resources.
"It would be a lot more trouble than it's worth for a few hundred dollars,"
she said.
Kowalski said the ministry has the money it needs.
"We appreciate that people want to help us, but people have to understand
the Ministry of Natural Resources is still out there and is heavily involved
in conservation and enforcement. It's the core function of the Ministry of
Natural Resources," she said.
Kowalski said the ministry moved to a "risk-based model" with its
conservation and enforcement work last year, targeting areas where problems
historically occur as opposed to trying to be everywhere.
"It's directed enforcement," she said. "People have a perception that we're
not out there, but we are."
Clubs expected to participate in the March 3 fundraiser include the Copper
Cliff Rod and Gun Club, Trailsmen Rod and Gun Club (Valley East), Sudbury
Game and Fish Protective Association, Chelmsford Fish and Game Association,
a club in Sturgeon Falls and a club on the north shore.
All told, some 40-45 Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters- affiliated
clubs in Zone "D" could contribute to the event, said Zandarin. Zone D
consists of the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts, and the North Shore.
Roy Polsky, chairman of Zone D, said the federation is neither for nor
against the fundraiser.
"If it's to embarrass the government and make a statement, it's not the
function for us," he said. "We have no intention to doing that. There's a
lot of members in the clubs that are going and supporting it. We're not
against it."
Polsky said the question of what will happen to any money raised another
concern for the federation.
"Even if you raised funds, it's not going to the guys it's supposed to," he
said. "It gets shipped to Peterborough. It goes into a big pot. If it would
be directed strictly to the COs, we would have no problem."
A member of the Trailsmen Rod and Gun Club, Polsky has been Zone D chairman
for seven years.
One key difference with the Sudbury fundraiser is that the public is
organizing it. On Feb. 1, Ministry of Natural Resources employees who are
members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 649 held a
barbecue in the parking lot of the Ontario Government services complex. The
union also started an online petition.
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