Spring bear hunt pilot a 'ridiculous proposal'

The head of the Sunset Country Travel Association says Ontario's plan for a spring bear hunt is more like a cull.

Gerry Cariou, the director of the Kenora-based group, said the two-year pilot project has too many limitations.

This is the most ridiculous proposal I've ever seen to control wildlife or manage wildlife, he said. It's really quite bizarre. It's a missed opportunity by the government of Ontario.

By restricting the hunt to Ontario residents and only allowing it in certain areas of the province, there will be little economic impact, Cariou said.

He added that it looks as if those areas permitted in the hunt are all in Liberal ridings.

"What we're going to end up with is a couple of thousand dead bears, zero economic impact, and the government, I guess, will be perceived politically that they have done something about the bear problem, he said. It's really quite a shame.

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Cariou saidthe government has lost the ability to manage wildlife effectively in Ontario, especially in the north.