Subject: Re: Moose Review

Thanks for the update. I hunt a little, fish a lot, but also realize what is harming and hindering Ontario's
outdoors now and in the future. The problems with hunting are the same with fishing. I also totally agree
in particular with the latest comments made by Randy Ford.

Not worried about being politically correct, allow me to make a few comments of my own.
A few select people in the MNR are the decision makers. Some of them don't hunt, some of them don't
fish. They are happy to work out of their ivory tower in Peterborough. They promised you a lot back in
1980. The promises are broken. In this instance the bears and wolves are on the increase. Moose and
moose tags seem to be on the decrease. Much the same is happening with sportfishing across the
province. Anglers have been asked to pay more and receive less. Fish limits are being reduced. Provincial
fish hatcheries are being turned over to the public, others are being converted into laboratories to met the
whims of a few scientists.

Remember though these few select individuals that have the final decision were never elected by the
people. The person elected by the people, the Minister of Natural Resources, most often knows little about
our outdoors. Because he or she is often ignorant of the problems facing sportsmen across this province,
they often rubber stamp new policies and ignore bad policies of the past....all made by those select few
living in that ivory tower back in Peterborough.

Randy brings up the concern about the OFAH being party to closed door discussions and going along
with the process where hunters only get a few crumbs off the table. My suggestion is that everyone else
should be concerned as well.

Over the last few years I've had this same concern with the OFAH when it came to Ontario's sportfishery.
A club that claims they have 80,000 members made the decision to take over management of the
province's Ringwood Salmon Hatchery, instead of using their supposed membership clout to force the
MNR to keep the taxpayer paid for facility open and operating. The OFAH also spearheaded efforts to
initiate a new and expanded Atlantic salmon program, in partnership with the MNR, and an Australian
wine company. I believe this experiement to be initiated in the first place by a few MNR biologists who
were entering the retirement stage of their lives and were looking to extend their careers or their
experimenting. Anyways, another provincial hatchery, this time a steelhead (rainbow trout) facility paid
for by the taxpayer is in fact taken over by the ofah and the private sector, instead of being operated as a
provincial facility. Very little consultation was done with the public concerning either facility....again
facilities paid for by the taxpayer, but suddenly now under the stewardship of the OFAH and their
partners.

Do I appreciate past conservation efforts carried out by the OFAH? Definitely! But some of the leaders of
this organization scare the pants off me. If they have 80,000 members as they claim, then use those so-
called numbers to demand the MNR do the job they are paid to do and that's not experimenting, reducing
hunting opportunities, reducing fishing opportunities and shuffling taxpayer dollar paid for hatcheries
back on the public.

Am I happy with the OFAH? Not at this time. I believe there are too many closed door negotiations going
on between a few MNR bureaucrats and a few in the upper echelon of the OFAH.
After forty years of dealing with the MNR I've heard enough lies, twisted facts and figures and broken
promises. I've also seen my share of incidents where the public in meetings will cozy up to the MNR
brass and will readily agree with MNR proposed policies in return for a pat on the head or better yet a
possible award of graditude to stick on the wall.

The governing party of the day and especially the Minister of Natural Resources should be held
accountable for the present state of our fish and our wildlife and also the recreational opportunities and
the economy that benefits from it. They in turn should be held accountable for fools working under them
who have created the problems we are faced with today.
Political correctness is getting us nowhere. Only votes count to politicians, not the wildlife, not the fish,
not the facilities and not the sportsmen of this province and definitely not the Ministry of Natural
Resources.

This is not the time to be politically correct. As well, numbers are only important when we use them for
the betterment of our outdoors and not just for a membership drive or ego-tripping. What's happening
with the moose is happening with our fish. Trust me.