Amendments to wolf and coyote hunting and trapping regulations under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act in response to amendments to Ontario Regulation 230/08 (Species at Risk in Ontario List) under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 for Algonquin Wolf.
Ontario Regulation 670/98
Regulation - LGIC
Bill or Act:
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997
Summary of Decision:
A decision was made to proceed with the proposal. The proposal was implemented by an amendment to O. Reg. 670/98 (Open Seasons) by O. Reg. 307/16. This regulation was filed in the Office of the Registrar of Regulations and is effective on September 14, 2016.
July 22, 2016
Summary of Proposal:
The Strategy for Wolf Conservation in Ontario (2005) establishes the provincial policy for the conservation and management of wolf populations, including goals, key objectives and strategies. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, and the regulations made under that Act specify the rules and seasons associated with hunting and trapping wolf and coyote across the province. Hunters and trappers are required to be licensed and must adhere to the relevant open season dates and bag/possession limits or quotas. Trappers are required to report all harvest. In central and northern parts of the province (i.e. Wildlife Management Units 1-42, 46-50 and 53-58), hunters are required to have a wolf/coyote game seal and must complete a mandatory harvest report.
As a result of the species evaluation assessment by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO), the Algonquin Wolf (formerly referred to as Eastern Wolf) has been re-classified from 'Special Concern' to 'Threatened' status under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). Currently, Ontario is proposing regulatory amendments to O. Reg. 242/08 under the ESA in relation to the changes to the Species at Risk in Ontario List (www.ontario.ca/environmentalregistry and search 012-8105).
A large portion of Ontario's known Algonquin Wolf population is concentrated within Algonquin Provincial Park, where hunting and trapping of wolves and coyotes has been prohibited since 2004. This prohibition also includes 42 surrounding townships. The hunting of wolf/coyote is also currently prohibited in a number of other provincial parks, including Kawartha Highlands, Killarney, Killarney Lakelands and Headwaters, French River, and Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands.
Public Input Coordinator
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Species Conservation Policy Branch
300 Water Street
P.O. Box 7000
September 15, 2016