MNR Needs $$$ - Seniors to pay for Fishing

Superdad · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:42 am

Has anyone read the latest OOD???? In the 'NEWS' column there is an article about the MNR looking for new Funds. Hunters and Fishers to bear the brunt of this.

FYI

David aka Superdad

Here's the article:

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is proposing new ways to increase revenue — and hunters and anglers will likely bear the brunt of it.

An Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) posting, which closes for comment on June 2, says that by 2015 the Special Purpose Account (SPA) that funds the MNR’s fish and wildlife programs, which cost $100-million to deliver, will not be able to keep up with shortfalls caused by changing licence purchases, inflation, and an older demographic.

According to the posting, the SPA will have to reduce expenditures in 2015 to maintain a positive budget unless actions are taken to offset the shortfall.

All of the proposed actions are outlined in this Sustainability Strategy for the Special Purpose Account (SPA), 2014-2019 document.

In the 40-page document some of the proposed actions include the following:

a $2 processing fee for Outdoors Cards and licence purchases;
increased commercial fishing licence fees; and
replacing free angling for seniors with discounted conservation and sportfishing licences starting in 2016.

At current licence rates that would mean seniors would pay $23.11 for a sportfishing licence or $13.17 for a conservation licence, plus $9.63 in either case for an Outdoors Card.

The draft strategy’s goals also include improving efficiency and cost savings within the MNR to allow more money to be directed to fish and wildlife conservation, corporate sponsorships, and initiatives that recruit and retain anglers and hunters.

In addition to receiving public comment via the EBR posting, MNR Project Manager Silvia Stobl said that the ministry held presentations at 23 stakeholder sessions from December 2012 to March 2013, and focus sessions for key stakeholders from November 2013 to February 2014.

MNR Sr. Media Relations Officer Jolanta Kowalski said after the 45-day comment period, the MNR will review the comments to develop a decision notice that will be posted on the EBR Registry for additional comments.
- See more at: http://www.oodmag.com/news/mnr-looking- ... QX8AP.dpuf

J. Semark · **Joined:** Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:06 am **Posts:** 50

I think its already ridiculous that we have to pay to enjoy the outdoors as human beings as well to pay to launch our boats. People are spending thousands of dollars on boats to enjoy with the family or to have the pleasure to sportfish with their kids and we have to pay just to put our boats in the water? Gas is already high enough and we get so screwed over with the price of boats in Canada that even just to go fishing is turning into a rich mans sport. I just don't understand it.

sunrisecottageresort · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:57 pm

Yes Dave, I heard rumblings of this a little while ago through the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Board. Here we go.

adventure · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:39 pm

$53.33 for small game\sport fishing license per year
$51.18 for moose license
$43.91 for deer license
$43.91 for bear licence
$26.93 for turkey license
=$219.26 in yearly hunting\fishing licenses
Consider from the age of 18-65 at that price is $10,305.22 alone for me. Not to mention my 4-wheeler licence, my boating operator licence, my boat trailer licence and my cargo trailer license that I use for hunting and fishing. I don't even want to know how much on gear, gas, food, etc. and the taxes on top of all that. (BTW, I won't tell your wife, if you don't tell mine)

But after all that, you'd think I would have paid my dues and at the very least go fishing when I retire and not have to cost me anything.

ritman · **Joined:** Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:34 pm **Posts:** 41

next thing you will know they will want my 4 year old grandson to pony up some cash

Blue Pickerel · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:01 pm

Thanks Dave, for opening our eyes. Being a long time member of O.F.A.H. I am very, very,
dissapointed in that they are silent on this issue. Then again they misguided us on the gun registry.
Go figure.
Donn.

sunrisecottageresort · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:32 pm

Wait until they make us register our boats each year instead of every ten years, but that is Federal.

jjz · **Joined:** Mon Nov 01, 2010 11:18 am **Posts:** 230

I stirred up some $hit on this topic on the OOD forum, I will be nicer here

I have no problem with this change as long as the money keeps going into the SPA. I dont think $30 a year is going to stop anyone from fishing.

Blue Pickerel · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:18 pm

jjz that's a great smell you created, but you are obviously not 70 years old and have had to pay
The dues we have, since day 1, like Dave said. A lot of us are winding down our journey in life,
Let us fish.
Donn.

jjz · **Joined:** Mon Nov 01, 2010 11:18 am **Posts:** 230

no iam not 70 so if this goes through I will never get a chance to fish for free and Iam ok with that. (maybe 25 yrs from now I will be on the other side of the fence but I dont think so) And beleive me it wont just be the seniors who get hit I am sure the regular licence fees will go up as well so I get a double whammy. I like pay per use structures over a general tax increase, and thats what the fishing licence is. Yes it sucks for all of us because we love to fish but look at it this way.... If there was a program in place where seniors got free admission to art gallaries, and various other artsy and cultural events and the government decided to take that away most of us wouldnt give it a second thought, and in fact some would be quite happy about it.

Grizzly · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 6:17 pm

In NY where I was born and raised for the tidy sum of 300 dollars each I was able to buy my children a life time hunting and fishing license before they reached the age of 12, and for myself the coast was 500 due to my age but I can fish and hunt for the rest of my life even if they were to close hunting and fishing I am or would be grandfathered in I don't have to be a resident or even live in the USA this is big game, and small game, turkey and fishing in the state of NY maybe a thing Ontario should look into it would be a quick money maker in the short term if they did it right. I know this don't help the elders now but its great for the hunting future.

MWM · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:04 pm

Seniors do not require a licence to fish but do they need an outdoor card for fishing only and are they allowed a full limit?

wayne · **Posted:** Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:39 pm

MWM wrote:

Seniors do not require a licence to fish but do they need an outdoor card for fishing only and are they allowed a full limit?

As of right now seniors do not need an outdoor card to fish,and they are allowed a full limit.

wolfden1 · **Joined:** Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:30 am **Posts:** 27

coming soon!! a fee for our boat license.

culp · **Posted:** Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:42 am

I have heard knitting is cheap, maybe take that up instead because maybe if you dont like how much it costs to play the game you dont actually like the game as much as you think??

The MNR is just doing what they feel is right to conserve and rebuild what we have not yet lost to this over populated world we live in.

Why should I pay for my licence to keep a few fish while some senior is out every morning keeping his limit?
If its becuase you feel " you put in your time" and now think your owed something, then maybe when you were younger you should have invested your $10,000 into a private pond stocked with your species of choice so when you became a seniour you could sit in your chair at your pond, rod in hand, and yell at the squirls to get off your property.

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MNR Needs $$$ - Seniors to pay for Fishing

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