Premier Confident of Hunting Allocation Solution
One message carried by rally participants – photos 250News
Prince George, B.C.- Premier Christy Clark didn’t go outside the Civic Centre yesterday to meet with the 200 or so hunters who were holding a rally. Instead, their concern was brought to the Premier by members of the media attending a media availability with Clark following her luncheon address at the Natural Resource Forum in Prince George. The hunters are pushing to have the Province revisit and revise the game allocations announced in December. The new allocations means Guides and Outfitters will see an increase in the number of animals they will be allotted. Those who oppose the changes say resident hunters are being hurt by the changes.
“To put it in context, we are talking about 110 animals” says Christy Clark. She disagrees that the allocations changes represent ‘a huge percentage change’ “With 110 animals at issue, Steve Thomson (Minister of Forest Lands and Resources) can come up with a solution, I am absolutely confident of that.”
Clark says the government wants to protect the resource and a British Columbian’s right to enjoy the outdoors and hunting but adds “At the same time, a long time ago, British Columbia also made a decision, because we have abundant resources and diversity in things like big game, unparalleled in North America, we could also create hunting businesses which would create all kinds of economic growth in very very small communities. Steve Thomson is trying to find that balance between the two and make it work, and as I’ve said, with 110 animals at issue here, I am sure we can find a solution.”
She says the situation will have to be examined region by region to ensure all regional concerns are addressed “What Steve (Thomson) has said is that he is listening.”
Thomson is scheduled to speak to the Wildlife Federation next week. “Guide outfitters are small family run businesses in rural and remote communities that provide vital economic value for our province, and we believe in jobs” says Clark “On the other hand, resident hunters are some of the best conservationist you will find out there. We are lucky to have them out in the woods doing the work that they do really helping us make sure our wildlife an ecosystems are in balance and it’s a resource that belongs to the people and they should have access to that, fair access, so again, both very important principles for us, and I know we are going to find a balance there.”
Meantime half a dozen of the Prince George protestors are scheduled to meet with MLAs Mike Morris and Shirley Bond next week.
Comments
I told them she would hide and be unavailable… she did just that….
Christy Clark is straight up lying. ” guide outfitters are small firmly run businesses in rural communities that provide vital economic value ” ERRRRRRRR WRONG. Most guide outfitters are wealthy land owning business people that don’t support rural communities and live in big cities. A very large percentage of them do not even live in Canada
I don’t believe her “110 animals” figure for a second.
If it’s “only” 110 animals, how in hell is that supposed to salvage the failing guiding industry? By her numbers it works out to about 1/2 an animal per year per guide outfitter per year. If the number is that insignificant, why not just give it back to the resident hunters and be done with the political fallout?
This stinks. It stinks of corruption (or at least influence-buying; follow the money), it stinks of sweetheart deals (lots of well placed politicians are very closely tied to the guiding industry) and this government is so arrogant that they think they’ll get away with it. Sad thing is they probably will.
Clearly Ms. Clark doesn’t appreciate, or care, about this issue. There are lots of families in Prince George who think differently and there is a multiplier effect at the voting booth when it is time to vote. The LEH system will remind them every year what is happening here. They won’t forget. Mike Morris, Shirley Bond and John Rustad should work to change this decision. In Prince George moose matter!
Remember this in the next election , Mike Morris , shirley Bond and John Rustad are no better than her , keep in mind they are all Liberals .
May as well get a customs to walking around with pants at half mast because you’ll take it in the rear one way or another.
Not sure what all the fuss is about. May as well shoot the last 6 tick infested moose and call her a day.
Raise minimum wage to 15 bucks then replace all the works with automated tellers. Want to complain? call someone who cares and find yourself sitting on the phone for 4 hours learning how to count to 7 twenty four times or hang up and start the process all over again eventually your frustration will get the best of you and you will just say F**K it!.
Unemployment will reach an all time high, but don’t be alarmed because it is only a number, after a year most will be forced off and unemployment will stabilize. Don’t pay attention to welfare because they are a different part of society one which should be less talked about.
YEAH!
As I said in another post. When they have the meeting with Morris and Bond, they should try and get them to make a commitment to support them.
I do not expect anything from Morris and Bond, except to support the party line. That’s what local politicians do. Rarely if ever will they put themselves on the line for their local constituents.
It matters little weather its the hunting issue, Site C, increases to Hydro, ICBC, MSP Premiums, LNG Exports, all the MLA bobbly heads remain silent and support the party line.
Bond and Morris and Rustad are our representatives in this area, and they should at the very least have an opinion on this issue that they can back up with facts. Are they for it or against it, and why?? That is the question. Lets hear their answers.
If this is truly about 110 animals, then this is a tempest in a teapot and not worth the coverage it has received.
If it’s more than that, I would like one of the resident expert hunter/commenters to post information otherwise.
Latest Stats Canada statistics coming out of Ottawa state BC is the worst performing province re economics in the country for the years 2006 to 2012. Wages in BC declined average 2.4% and middle class medium income in negative territory compared to other provinces. Some of the reason for this is BC’s huge appetite for foreign temporary workers who drove wages down and displaced Canadian citizen middle class workers. You people voted Clark and her cabal in and even voted that useless politician Zimmerman in for the Conservatives. If you keep voting this way,rest assured you will be poorer in the future and another round of Harper will destroy our health care system as he is already starving this system. He did not manage the economy astutely. He cut the got too far and then was hit by the 2008 economic recession
That should be “cut the gst too far”
Well here’s some numbers for you. Last year there were over 102,000 resident hunters buying licenses, tags, gas, guns, ammo, paying taxes and spending their money in BC. There were 5000 guided hunters buying what they needed to hunt, most of them already bring their guns, ammo, etc. So they buy tags and licenses essentially. So I don’t see where the allocation is fair at all when less than 5% of the hunters get sole access to 20% of the moose in BC.
@Huh: So it sounds like you’re not disputing the 110 figure.
I heard the interview yesterday and she said something along the lines of, “We can work together and meet somewhere in the middle.”
Sounds to me like she listening.
The BCWF estimates 5000 permits lost (not 5000 animals, but 5000 opportunities lost).
http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/
Irrespective of the number of lost opportunities, why is the province giving the guide-outfitter industry even more than they already have? Their current allocation is already far more generous than most other jurisdictions but that’s still not enough? If their businesses are failing (and I don’t for a moment think that things are as dire as the GOABC would have you believe) they need to look at their business model and adapt or face the consequences.
Tempest in a teapot or the straw that broke the camel’s back?
Superdave says: Most guide outfitters are wealthy land owning business people that don’t support rural communities and live in big cities. A very large percentage of them do not even live in Canada.
Really? Any evidence you can point to? (This is a real question. It could be true. I don’t know.)
Didn’t think so. Got a feeling there might just be too many GO’s to sustain.
“Premier Confident of Hunting Allocation Solution”
The only thing she can be confident about is how much the BCGOA has donated to the BC Liberals over the years.
I support the hunters on this, but to help try and keep the facts straight, 10 out of 137 guide and outfitters listed on the BC guide and outfitters website have addresses that are not from BC (quick count). I’m not sure how many of those are from out of province or country that use a BC address though? That would be interesting to find out.
My personal opinion is that if you are not a BC resident, you should not be able to have a guiding business here.
American owned B.C. operated
Mav, please give us your source.
by Fedup2015
Remember this in the next election , Mike Morris , shirley Bond and John Rustad are no better than her , keep in mind they are all Liberals .
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And regardless of their personal politics or beliefs, they must toe the party line or risk losing their ‘important’ status within the party.
metalman.
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