The following is a paid, open letter to the Premier of B.C.

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Premier Clark and the Liberal Party of BC:

Resident hunters respectfully ask the Provincial government to reconsider the December 10th, 2014 BC Wildlife Allocation Policy decision.

The new policy increases the allocation of high demand wildlife species to guides who provide services to non-resident hunters, while reducing residents’ opportunity to hunt.

Wildlife is a public resource which should not be privatized. After conservation and First Nations requirements are satisfied, wildlife allocations should prioritize residents, and then foreign hunters.

Resident hunters do support and recognize the importance of the Guide Outfitter industry in British Columbia. Government policy should manage wildlife habitats to increase abundance and provide the guides a regulatory environment that allows them to adapt their businesses to address changing environmental and economic conditions within their former allocation.

Resident hunters in BC have increased 20 percent from 84,000-102,000 in the last 10 years. People hunt to reconnect with their natural environment and to fill their freezer with wild, healthy, organic meat.  As popularity of the 100 mile diet and demand for food security increases, we find more British Columbians hunting.

Hunting is increasingly becoming a family activity; the fastest growing segments are women and youth.  The number of graduates for  Conservation Outdoor Recreation Education (CORE) program, a pre-requisite to becoming a licensed hunter, is at record highs.

Non-resident hunters in BC have decreased 30 percent from 6,500-4,500 over the same 10 year period.

Most jurisdictions in North America give non-resident hunters 5-10 percent of their wildlife allocation.  BC now gives foreign hunters 20-40 percent. Given the number of resident hunters in British Columbia and the high resident demand for hunting opportunities, this decision is unprecedented. The new allocations are unfair and not in the best interests of all involved.

Reducing British Columbians’ access to public wildlife resources will be detrimental to wildlife conservation in the long-run.  Resident hunters spend over $230 million a year on hunting related expenditures, $9 million on license fees and surcharges for conservation, and donate over 300,000 hours towards conservation projects every year. These expenditures often occur in rural BC, in towns that have been hit by the economic downturn and a decline in
resource extraction based jobs.  Rural BC is also home to many resident hunters who rely on wild game to fill their freezers.

It is with these points in mind that resident hunters ask you to please reconsider the allocations.

Meet the resident hunters of Prince George at a peaceful and respectful rally hosted by the Spruce City Wildlife Association in front of the Civic Center on January 21 at 11 am.

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The preceding has been a paid  announcement from the  Spruce City Wildlife Association