The past few months have been very busy as we were looking high and low for a new General Manager as Lauren Tonelli has moved on, and we wish her all the luck at her new role. In the meantime, an old face has been making sure that the duties of GM don’t get forgotten. Robin, thank you for coming out of retirement to make sure that the day to day business and commitments are fulfilled. Robin has stayed on a few days a week for the fall months to help train the new General Manager. Saying this, I would like to welcome Tyler Epp. He wore many hats at Sault College but I don’t want to double up on any of his info or steal his thunder in his first report! He’s a very energetic individual that I am positive will be an asset to the awesome staff that have worked their fingers to the bone for the trappers of Ontario during this time of being short staffed.

Beavers and bears have come up in discussions over the summer. Just a reminder that when doing nuisance beaver work maintain the prescribed distance off the highway (33′). If you are experiencing issues with loss of beaver in these areas, call your district MNR IRM that is working on the fur file and let them know. You are allowed to take a black bear under the authority of your trapper’s licence remembering that you can’t let the meat spoil, but you can discard the hide. Many of us have the luxury of having an open quota, but if it is abused, you may have your open quota revoked. Trappers, as a whole, are responsible for less than one percent of all harvested black bears in Ontario. I have had a few calls from trappers regarding the status on the Eastern Wolf. At this time, if you were allowed to harvest canids last year, you still can this year, and if you couldn’t last year, unfortunately, you’ll have to suffer again this year. Not much can be said for the trapline transfer policy. Other than there’s no movement on an updated policy, and not for a lack of trying. Consistency and interesting interpretations of the Policy are still an issue, but the Federation is there to question the process every step of the way. It is fair for everyone, no matter where you are from. If you are experiencing issues on your trapline, whether it’s somebody tampering with traps or somebody setting steel on your line (further than the prescribed 33′) or any other infraction, a staff sergeant told me that a better way to report is via 1-800-222-TIPS, or if you want to maintain anonymity, Crime Stoppers would be your choice. The reason he told me this is that each phone call receives a tracking number and so an on duty officer can be sent as soon as possible which in the long run helps their office. This Federation is a grass roots membership driven organization that relies on our members, their ideas and support to bring about change. Let’s bring that change together.

I would like to thank Scott, Mario and crew for holding the convention this year in Orillia. It was a great success, bringing people from the farmer’s market to our event that wouldn’t have attended otherwise.

Let’s pray this season’s conditions are better than lasts, but first and foremost – be safe. I wish everyone happiness and success in your pursuits on the line this season.