TO The Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

WHEREAS black bears are the only big game species with dependent young who are hunted in the spring; and

Whereas 34% of black bears killed are female and an average of 17% of those are adult (OMNR 2009 Report), some with cubs;

Whereas orphaned spring black bear cubs die of dehydration, starvation and predation; and

Whereas baiting, which may occur for 6 months in some areas, contributes to human-bear conflicts; and

Whereas Ontario still allows the use of dogs in bear hunting; and

Whereas the dogs may attack cubs and injured adult bears or may be injured or killed themselves; and

Whereas the previous spring hunt did not reduce human bear interactions because hunts do not eliminate the primary cause of these conflicts - unsecured attractants:

We the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

That the spring black bear hunt pilot project launched by the Minister of Natural Resources be cancelled; and

That the Bear Wise Programme be re-instated to provide municipalities with effective solutions to prevent and mitigate human bear conflicts.

To:
David Orazietti, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources John Vanthof, NDP Critic, Ministry of Natural Resources Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario

We understand that Ontario MPP Bill Mauro has is seeking to have a Private Member's Bills passed to bring back the spring bear hunt which has been banned since 1999. Please listen to the majority of Ontario residents and do NOT re-instate the spring bear hunt. Science shows that hunts, culls and other lethal action are not effective means of reducing wildlife conflict. Your own Ministry showed that when the spring bear hunt was in place 274 cubs were orphaned as a direct result; and despite what hunting lobbyists may claim, it is impossible to prevent this.

There is no way to effectively protect mothers and cubs while striving to kill other bears. The spring hunt will result in orphaning, suffering and cruelty and will impact Ontario’s ecosystem in unimaginable ways. Please respond and confirm to the signers of this petition that you will not re-instate the hunt. I recommend you visit OntarioSpringBearHunt.ca and click into government facts also bear encounters for information that will convince you a spring bear hunt is NOT wanted or needed in Ontario.

Sincerely,
[Your name]