Printed from www.nugget.ca web site Friday, September 29, 2006 - © 2006 North Bay Nugget

MNR cuts service - union; Routine patrols eliminated in district, officers responding only to public complaints
Gord Young Friday, September 29, 2006 - 08:00

Local News - Fish and wildlife in Ontario have been left unguarded against poachers due to drastic cutbacks at the Ministry of Natural Resources, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

The union says the ministry has cut back operating expenses for conservation officers by about half compared to last year, effectively paralyzing enforcement across the province.

"This is a disaster for fish and wildlife enforcement," said union spokesman Randy Robinson, noting officers are frustrated at having to sit at desks rather than work in the field. "I haven't spoken to a conservation officer that isn't upset." A spokesman at the ministry's communications service branch did not provide an immediate response Wednesday to the union's claims. Robinson said routine patrols have been eliminated in the North Bay district, which includes Sturgeon Falls and New Liskeard, leaving conservation officers to respond only to public complaints. He said the union is uncertain about planned enforcement levels during this year's moose season. But he said some districts are expected to go over budget in an attempt to cover off the hunt.

Robinson said the cutbacks, coupled with fewer conservation officers over the past 14 years and greater public access to forests and waterways, is a catastrophe for fish and wildlife. He said there were 257 uniformed conservation officers in Ontario working in the field in 1992, compared to 173 in the field today and 26 officers whose duties focus on special investigations.

Meanwhile, the ministry has increased access to lakes and bush areas by providing subsidies for industry to build new logging roads, Robinson said. An OPSEU briefing note on the issue suggests the combination of cuts to field patrols and the elimination of MNR counter service will mean that ministry staff will lose contact with what's happening in the field and won't have the information needed to make effective management and enforcement decisions.

Robert Pye, spokesman for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, said the demise of the MNR's fish and wildlife budget, which includes everything from enforcement to research, is the organization's most urgent concern. He said the federation is aware of claims MNR enforcement is in jeopardy. And Pye said it's a major concern for the group, which has always supported conservation officers. It's a "fox in the hen house" situation without them, he said, noting it will be up to anglers and hunters to report poachers.

But Pye said the enforcement issue is a symptom of the provincial government's lack of support for fish and wildlife management in Ontario. He said the MNR's fish and wildlife budget has been flat-lined at $78 million annually. And Pye said anglers and hunters finance about two-thirds of that budget, mainly through licence and permit fees. He said the federation has lobbied for annual spending of $120 million.

OPSEU says the ministry is being cagey about enforcement dollars and has communicated cost-cutting targets via face-to-face meetings. The union's best estimate is annual budgets that were once about $15,500 for expenses such as gasoline, uniforms and vehicle repairs were cut in half. The union says conservation officers have been told to reduce enforcement targets by 40 per cent and to manage by priority. But with large territories to cover and no money for fuel, OPSEU warns regular patrols will become a thing of the past. "They've got to know a conservation officer can pop out from behind a tree at any time," Robinson said, noting that is one of the MNR's greatest enforcement tools.

OPSEU also claims the operating budget of the MNR's investigation and intelligence section has been slashed by roughly 60 per cent, to about $100,000 from $250,000. It says an award-winning flying program that provides enforcement in remote and sensitive areas is to be eliminated and that two officers have been given their surplus notices. Conservation officers are supposed to use the MNR's air services instead. But OPSEU is doubtful that will happen because those aircraft cost more than $500 per hour to operate. The union says conservation officers have been allotted enough overtime to work one statutory holiday and an additional eight hours for the year. It also claims the ministry is reducing the number of computers and vehicles, forcing conservation officers to share in many cases.

OPSEU warns the changes add up to a field day for poachers.