Derek Baldwin
Publishing date:
Feb 25, 2022 • 23 hours ago • 4 minute read •
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A trio of animal rights groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Ontario government concerning a coyote-hunting contest by Cheshers Outdoor Store in Belleville. The groups are arguing the contest violates Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. COYOTE WATCH CANADA
A trio of animal rights groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Ontario government concerning a coyote-hunting contest by Cheshers Outdoor Store in Belleville. The groups are arguing the contest violates Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. COYOTE WATCH CANADA
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Three animal rights groups jointly filed a lawsuit Thursday in Superior Court against the Ontario government alleging the province is not enforcing laws designed to protect wildlife in relation to an annual coyote-hunting contest by a Belleville store.
Contest organizer Chesher’s Outdoor Store said on social media that all Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources’ hunting regulations apply to the contest which closes to hunters Feb. 28.
Animal Justice, The Fur-Bearers, and Coyote Watch Canada issued a joint statement noting they “are suing the Ontario government over its decision to allow the coyote-hunting contest to take place throughout the month of February.”
The main thrust of the litigation takes issue with the contest offering prizes which the groups say “violates the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act — a provincial law governing hunting, trapping, and fishing practices.”
The Intelligencer first reported opposition to the coyote-hunting contest by environmental groups in February 2021 and the provincial ministry at the time did not specifically answer a media request whether the contest was considered as bounty hunting, a practice that is outlawed.
The ministry could not be immediately reached by phone and email for comment Friday.
Phone calls placed by The Intelligencer Friday to Bill Chesher, owner of Chesher’s Outdoor Store, were not immediately answered.
However, Chesher’s company Facebook page confirmed the contest is up and running again this year from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28 with $2,500 in prizes being offered for the top five weights of coyotes weighed in by hunters who pay the $20 registration fee.
Signed by “Billy” Chesher on his FB page, he wrote, “the person weighing in the coyote MUST have shot the coyote. You may not weigh in a coyote that someone else shot. All MNR applicable hunting reg’s will apply as well as any provincial/federal or municipal laws with the respect to hunting coyotes.”
He informed customers that amid the coyote-hunt controversy last year by animal-rights groups, he reportedly suffered damage to his property.
“I am sure you all are aware of what the anti-hunting community did last year in protest to this contest. At the end of the day, we chose not to lay charges or seek compensation for damages to property,” he wrote.
“My view from last year has changed after the multitude of threats of death, bodily harm, arson and other forms of property damage which simply are not warranted. These types of actions will not be tolerated this year in any capacity. This is a contest we have run for the hunting community for years and will continue to do so.”
The trio of animal rights groups, meanwhile, argued the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act “states that no person shall hunt ‘for gain or the expectation of gain’, ‘induce another person to hunt for gain’, or ‘pay or accept a bounty.’
Kaitlyn Mitchell, staff lawyer with Animal Justice, said: “Animal Justice and a number of other groups have repeatedly urged the minister to comply with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, but our efforts have been largely ignored.”
“Because this cruel contest appears to be in direct contravention of Ontario’s hunting and conservation law, our groups have no option but to go to court. No one is above the law, and when governments violate laws designed to protect animals and ecosystems, they must be held to account.”
“As a keystone species, the Eastern coyote is under the unabated threat of open season persecution in most of Ontario,” said Lesley Sampson, executive director of Coyote Watch Canada. “Killing contests flout sound science and ethical management, and disregard section 11 of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Wildlife is held in public trust for all Ontarians and must not be targeted for cash prizes and incentivized killing for fun and gain.”
The groups said repeated requests to the Ontario government for clarification on the legality of the contest have not been forthcoming.
“Despite repeated requests from concerned groups and individuals, as well as members of the media, neither the minister nor the store have indicated that written authorizations have been issued to the store and contest participants as required by section 11 of the act.”
“Over 8,000 submissions calling for enforcement were sent to the ministry following this issue becoming public,” said Michael Howie, spokesperson for The Fur-Bearers. “These concerned members of the public — and the media — deserve transparency and explanations from their government.”
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) chimed in on the Chesher contest controversy in defence of the annual event.
On its website, OFAH said coyotes are not at risk of endangerment.
“In the southern half of the province, coyote hunting is open all year and there is no limit on the number that can be taken. Despite this very liberal season, coyotes are thriving across their range in Ontario, showing that the hunting of coyotes is in no way a sustainability concern. Coyote populations are extremely robust and can withstand high levels of harvest without negative population impacts,” the federation stated.
The Belleville coyote-hunting contest “has sparked a massive amount of backlash from animal activist groups. Many of these groups are seizing this opportunity to attempt to discredit legal hunting and trapping of coyotes.”
The federation said, “coyote contests are relatively rare in Ontario, and most non-hunters don’t realize that contests like these don’t change the activity. First and foremost, all hunting still needs to be within the rules and regulations, and bounties are illegal. Because of this, modern contests don’t dramatically change the number of hunters or how they hunt because the large majority of participants are already hunting for that particular species at that time of year.”
“These attacks aren’t anti-contest, they are anti-hunting. Many of the claims from those opposed to the contest are driven by anti-hunting sentiment and not simply concerns over this specific issue,” the federation asserted.
