LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
ASSEMBLEE LEGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Mercredi 9 avril 2014
MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS
HUNTER APPRENTICESHIP SAFETY PROGRAM
Mr. Jeff Yurek: I want to recognize an issue that was brought to my attention in my riding. Youth hunting is a viable activity that introduces our young people to the principles of safe hunting and an appreciation for nature and conservation.
The Ontario Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program is a program that endeavours to introduce young people to hunting at a responsible young age. The program pairs youth hunters with mentors who teach them about hunting and the importance of safety. Youth are not eligible for hunting tags; therefore, they must use their mentor’s tag if they are successful in their hunt. The problem is that most hunters only have a single tag for the week during the hunting season, so while hunters want to mentor youth, they face the trade-off of not being able to engage in the hunt themselves if they give up their tag.
I’m calling on the Minister of Natural Resources to enhance the Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program by reviewing the tag allocation system with the aim of accommodating our youth hunters. If we can get more apprentices, we’ll have more safe and more responsible hunters in the future.