2003 Press Releases:

Toronto, November 19, 2003: It comes of no surprise the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has extended the deer hunt from one week to two weeks in Lanark County in the Ottawa Valley after farmers staged an illegal deer hunt last June to protest crop damage caused by deer.

Toronto, November 17, 2003: The Peaceful Parks Coalition (PPC) brought an important message to Toronto's Santa Claus parade yesterday - Save Ontario's Northern Forests . This action kicks off the group's "Think Twice Before You Buy" campaign aimed at encouraging consumers to think twice before purchasing disposable paper products derived from Ontario's last tracks of ancient boreal forest.

Toronto, September 22, 2003: This weekend the Peaceful Parks Coalition removed election signs from Rondeau Provincial Park belonging to the local Tory candidate Dave Wilkinson in the Chatham-Kent District. The election signs were placed on leased cottage lots situated in the park, but the park has a strict policy of no solicitation. When park officials tried to enforce the policy by removing the signs, Dave Wilkinson and his supporters ran straight for Queens Park. Staff for the Wilkinson campaign confirmed they were given the green light to ignore park policy by the Ministry of Natural Resources in Toronto.

Toronto, August 29 2003: Deer populations in Ontario are out-of-control according to Jerry Ouellette, Minister of Natural Resources, and he is prepared to expand the deer hunting season in Kemptville District in the Ottawa Valley, and allow a year round hunt of bucks by farmers province-wide. But at the same time, Ouellette funds programs aimed at "enhancing" deer populations through habitat improvement and feeding programs.

Toronto, August 6 2003: After staging an illegal deer hunt, farmers in Lanark County in the Ottawa Valley met with Ministry of Natural Resources South Central Regional Director Ron Running, and sure enough, within four weeks the Ontario government is proposing to expand the deer hunt in the Kemptville district and open the hunt for bucks year round for farmers province-wide.

Toronto, July 28 2003: After farmers from Lanark County in the Ottawa region staged an illegal deer hunt last month, the Ontario government has awarded their actions by expanding the deer hunt in Lanark.

Toronto, July 2003: The Ontario government has abandoned the Recreation Reserve Act and replaced it with new legislation that will give the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site provincial park statues. But serious problems remain.

Toronto, June 26, 2003: This year, the Peaceful Parks Coalition has begun studying the impacts of egg oiling on Double-crested Cormorants. This a parallel study to the Ontario government's ongoing oiling program in the North Channel and Georgian Bay to reduce the overall cormorant population by 8% - 11%.

Toronto, May 5, 2003: Ontario Government Proposing to Alter Park Boundary to Allow for Nickel Mining.

Toronto, April 7, 2003: Buyer Beware! Forest Stewardship Council Certification of Tembec Operations Borders on Consumer Fraud.

Hamilton, March 22, 2003: Jerry Ouellette, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, Attends 75th Sport Hunters' General Annual Meeting.

Toronto, February 13, 2003: The Peaceful Parks Coalition has asked for a Full Environmental Assessment of the Ontario government's program to introduce wild turkeys well outside of their historical range. Wild turkeys are a prized game bird for sport hunters.