Hunting and parks

Although the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act bans sport hunting in Provincial Parks, a full 67 out of 272 parks (roughly) one in four) were exempted from this prohibition. Prior to January 1999, over 25% of Ontario parks allowed the recreational hunting of some or all of the following: moose, deer, wolf, fox, raccoon, snapping turtle, wild turkey and a range of other birds, reptiles and fur-bearing mammals. After January 1999, the Tory government introduced Ontario's Living Legacy, a land-use planning strategy for 39 million hectares of public land north of the Georgian Bay area. The purpose of the plan was to guarantee the logging and mining industries access to our natural resources and expand recreational opportunities for hunters and anglers. Only 12% has been set aside for provincial parks and virtually all areas designated as new parks and additions to existing parks will allow sport hunting. A full 69% of Ontario's protected spaces will allow some form of recreational hunting which means our protected areas are not really protected at all.

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