Perhaps the CO's in Southern Ontario have a different interpretation than up north. I carry a rifle on canoe trips from May till October. The only time one has to worry about being questioned about a rifle is from Aug 15 (bear season) until Dec. 15 (end of moose season). If a CO finds you with a rifle capable of shooting a moose or bear, and you don't have a tag, they will presume you are hunting illegally.
I get all my tags anyway, starting in August with the bear tag, and ending March 31 when my wolf tag expires. My last conversation with a CO was quite interesting. I wanted to hunt wolf during moose season without a moose tag, but using a moose size rifle. CO told me it would be a no-no.