Spring bear hunt protest scheduled for Tuesday morning

THUNDER BAY -- A group opposed to the spring bear hunt will protest its reinstatement on Tuesday morning outside a south-side hotel.

The protest, scheduled to last an hour and start at 8 a.m., was timed to coincide with the arrival of participants at the North American Caribou Workshop scheduled for the Victoria Inn.

“The campaign has information obtained under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act both from the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry showing increased hunting pressure on black bears in Ontario correlates to increased human-bear encounters,” said organizer Paul Filteau in a release issued on Monday.

“The Stop the Spring Bear Hunt campaign maintains that shooting bears in the spring, when they are vulnerable, hungry, and still have dependent cubs, is unethical. Further, relocating problem bears, education and changing human behaviour are the only ways proven to reduce negative interactions.”