Ontario Wildlife Coalition takes on McGuinty Liberals

Campaign launched to save orphaned wildlife in Ontario

May 22/07  OTTAWA, TORONTO, LONDON, Rosie, a 5-week old baby raccoon whose mother was killed on a busy road, was left to die because of Ontario government regulations that outlaw humane and responsible help for wildlife. Thousands of helpless infant wild animals like Rosie face a cruel and unnecessary death every spring because of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.  Click to sign petition, Backgrounder.

Ottawa beaver caught in cruel trap, badly injured, euthanized

Apr. 17, 2007 The public is outraged over the death of a young beaver, found writhing around trying to free its front right leg from the cruel and illegal trap that ensnared it in a wetland off a public path in Ottawa. Please take a moment of your time to write a letter against the use of inhumane traps in urban areas. Full story and letter writing details.

Serving the public is not on MNR's agenda

Feb. 5/07 Attacks on wildlife rehabilitators and overspending on bogus rabies programs should have politicians taking action. Kelly Egan's column demonstrates why the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources needs an overhaul from top to bottom. Full story.

Donna DuBreuil honoured with IFAW's 2006 Animal Action Award

Jan. 4/07 EMC - Donna DuBreuil, founder of the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, was recently honoured with others from across Canada for contributions to animal welfare with an award by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Full story.

Bam-Bam back home with overjoyed family

Dec. 30/06 Ottawa Sun - Christina Straby takes a moment to sit in the running car and warm up. She's been outside all day and as the sun goes down, she starts to feel cold. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are glowing as she looks out to her beloved pet deer, Bam-Bam, who is looking back from within a fenced area. Full story

Bam-Bam is going home!

Premier orders deer to be returned home; apologizes for MNR's actions

Dec. 23/06 Ottawa Sun - Bam-Bam, the pet deer seized from a Greely couple earlier this month by provincial wildlife officials, will soon be home. Full story.

Wildlife organizations respond to claims made by MNR fact sheet

Dec. 20/06 - The information provided as a Fact Sheet by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources "What you should do if you find a Sick, Injured or Orphaned Wild Animal" on December 15, 2006 demonstrates why there is such public dissatisfaction with this Ministry and your Government’s inability or unwillingness to assert any control or direction over its controversial policies. Read letter to Premier.

Public outraged at OMNR seizure of Ottawa deer

Dec. 9/06 Ottawa Sun - Battle for Bam-Bam. Greely family devastated after ministry seizes a 'domesticated' deer they've raised since birth and places her in a cage in Papanack zoo.
Full story.

Related stories:
» Dec. 9 - Oh Deer, Editorial
» Dec. 10 - Public outrage on rise in support of deer departed
» Dec. 11 - Tears flow for deer
» Dec. 13 - Family deserves deer permit: MPPTory takes up fight as thousands rally to Bam-Bam's cause
» Dec. 13 - MPP Lisa MacLeod's statement to the Legislative Assembly
» Dec. 14 - Deer cause hits Legislature
» Dec. 14 - Cut Red Tape; Let Bam-Bam come home
» Dec. 15 - Family pleads with gov't for return of wild pet deer  (Video Clip!!)
» Dec. 16 - Experts battle over Bam-Bam; Minister denies family special permit to care for deer
» Dec. 17 - Proof the province doesn't have enough to do; Ministry's relocation of farmer's rescued deer has people baffled, upset
» Dec. 20 - McGuinty urged to help Bam-Bam the deer; MPP MacLeod makes plea for his return to rescuers
» Dec. 20 - MPP steps up push to return deer-ly departed
» Dec. 20 - Wildlife organizations respond to claims made by MNR Fact Sheet.
» Dec. 22 - Pair seek Bam-bam permit

MNR forces Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary to kill animals

Beacon Star

Dec. 2/06 Rosseau, Beacon Star News - The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recently forced the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary to kill five animals in its care with more orders to kill others by the end of the year, according to sanctuary staff. Story and letters.

University of Waterloo under fire for killing beavers

Nov. 18/06 Ottawa Citizen -The University of Waterloo stirred up a controversy this week after it trapped and killed four busy beavers after trees began to fall on campus grounds.

The beavers were drowned in underwater traps set up in Laurel Creek, which runs through the university's campus.
Stories and letters.

Ottawa's royal swans to be set free

Sept. 12/06 CBC News - Ottawa's royal swans will be set free next spring, city officials have decided. The city's 12 mute swans, which usually spend the summer in the waters of the Rideau River, were quarantined in pens this year because city officials were afraid the swans might contract avian flu from wild birds. But next spring, the swans will either be released in Ottawa or sent to another city, said city councillor Rick Chiarelli, who has been campaigning for the swans' release. Full story

A Victory for Ottawa's Royal Swans!

Sept. 11/06 Ottawa Royal Swan Coalition - The Coalition that was formed to protest the appalling living conditions that Ottawa’s Royal Swans have been kept locked up in for almost a year is claiming a victory.  “It is unfortunate that the swans have lost the seven months they would normally have spent on the river this year, but we are pleased that the City has finally come to its senses with respect to this controversy”, said Ann Coffey of the Canadian Biodiversity Institute and a member of the Coalition. Full story

Ottawa's swans deserve better

Aug. 29/06 Ottawa Sun - I agree with one thing in Susan Sherring’s article ‘The feathers are set to fly’. That is the City of Ottawa should be able to make a sensible decision about the Royal Swans and move on to more important issues. Sherring’s article states the city’s decision to not release the swans because of avian flu “was based on guidelines developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada”. Not so. In fact, the Public Health Agency of Canada issued a clarification to city staff on June 2 stating that these guidelines were clearly not meant to apply to captive birds. Full story

Coalition fights for swans' release

Aug. 17/06 Nepean EMC - Local animal protection and environmental groups have formed a coalition to protest Ottawa’s Royal Swans being kept locked in a facility being dubbed "Swantanamo Bay."  Made up of members from the Ontario Wildlife Coalition, the Canadian Biodiversity Institute, Animal Alliance of Canada and the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre, the Ottawa Royal Swan Coalition says the issue has become an embarrassment for the city. Full story

Group releases photos of 'Swantanamo Bay'

Aug. 16/06 CBC News - A coalition of animal rights groups is calling on Ottawa to release its Royal Swans from a facility activists have dubbed "Swantanamo Bay." This spring, the city decided to keep its 12 swans inside its winter facility for the summer to protect the birds from contracting avian influenza from wild birds. Descendants of birds presented to the city by the Queen in 1967, the Royal Swans are usually released onto the Rideau River for the summer, then rounded up and put back in the winter facility on Leitrim Road in the fall. But while city officials claim conditions at the facility are top-notch, the coalition says photos offering a glimpse inside the facility show cramped, inhumane conditions.  Full story

Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre launches new website for detailed information on ALL wildlife concerns

May 5/06 - The Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre is pleased to announce that it launched, appropriately on Earth Day, April 22nd, a new web site www.wildlifeproblems.ncf.ca. It provides comprehensive information on dealing with a wide range of wildlife concerns and is based on the Centre's 15 years of experience in caring for over 10,000 orphaned and injured wild mammals and responding to more than 100,000 calls in helping people resolve wildlife problems in a humane and effective manner.  Press release.

Local residents fight for return of wildlife rehab centre

Apr. 7/06 Weekly Journal (East Ottawa) - For Ross Owens and his wife Claudia, it started about 10 years ago with a baby squirrel. They'd found the animal alone and abandoned on the property of their Cumberland home. Neither Owens nor his wife were sure how to care for the squirrel, but they'd heard of the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre in the west end of the city. Full story

Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre receives 2-year $60,000 grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation

St. Michael students experience wildlife education program

Feb. 17/06 Kemptville Packet - If you aren’t able to tell which of the following: skunk, weasel, raccoon and mink, isn’t part of the same family, your children may be able to tell you. Thanks to a two-year $60,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre will be taking their new education program out to area schools, teaching children more about local wildlife and their environment. Full story

Ontario's orphaned and injured wildlife denied humane care by David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources.

Regressive wildlife rehabilitation regulations finalized by the Minister as Toronto hosts the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference

Toronto, Wednesday, November 9, 2005: Actions by the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, David Ramsay reached a new low when his staff posted regressive changes to regulations governing wildlife rehabilitators. This was done just days prior to the start of an international wildlife rehabilitation conference being held in Toronto this week.  Ministry staff tried to spin the changes as "a good news story" for rehabilitation. Full story

Algonquin left out in the cold - logging still allowed

Oct. 26/05 CPAWS - New parks legislation introduced in the Ontario Legislature yesterday will help ensure a healthy future for one of the province's greatest assets – our more than 600 provincial parks and conservation reserves. Full story

New provincial parks and conservation reserves legislation

Oct. 25/05 Toronto - The McGuinty government is introducing new legislation that, if passed, would ensure the permanent protection and ecological integrity of Ontario’s provincial parks and conservation reserves, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced today. The new Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act received first reading on October 25, 2005. Full story

Thousands of kilometres of hidden roads uncovered in Algonquin Park

Oct. 17/05 Sierra Legal Defense Fund (Toronto) Two major conservation groups have uncovered more than 8,000 kilometres of logging roads, hidden from public view in Algonquin Provincial Park. CPAWS-Wildlands and Sierra Legal Defence Fund are announcing their findings after new parks legislation was announced in last week’s Speech from the Throne. The vast majority of the roads are used for logging, a use conservation groups say doesn’t belong in a park especially in the jewel of Ontario's park system. Full story

International Consortium on Anti-Virals symposium opens

Sept. 24, 2005: Animal protection groups call for:

• preventive measures to combat viruses
• research into cause of pandemic diseases
• caution in funding fear-driven research
• public funds to go to public health agencies with a broader
  public mandate, preventive programmes and no profit motive.  Press release

Wildlife advocates shoot down Ontario’s nuisance wildlife strategy

Groups shut out from consultations over government’s pro-gun approach

Sept. 14, 2005: (Toronto) As the Ontario government begins its first round of consultations for managing human/wildlife conflicts, referred to by the Ministry as “nuisance” wildlife, environmental and animal protection groups, conspicuously excluded from the stakeholder invitation list, held a press conference today at Queens Park slamming the Ministry’s pro-hunting agenda.
Full story.

Orphaned fawn puts officer in dilemma

CREDIT: Chris Mikula, The Ottawa Citizen

Some people say just let nature take its course, but I didn't have the heart'

June 10/05 - The Ottawa Citizen: Ottawa police Const. Randy Wagner was a Good Samaritan with a dilemma: what to do with an orphaned fawn. The officer was answering a call to rural Kanata yesterday when he spotted the tiny creature. A passerby had found it on the shoulder of the road and moved it to a nearby lawn. There was no mother nearby and the fawn was so weak it couldn't stand up. Full story

Wildlife rehab crisis spreading province-wide

Apr. 29/05 The Country Connection Magaine -  No pay. Piles of paperwork. Late nights. Strict rules of operation. Little thanks. Not exactly how most of us would want to spend our free time. But for the one hundred licensed wildlife custodians in Ontario, it's their love of animals and desire to give back to their communities that compel them to do this hands-on and satisfying work. Full story

The Death Toll Mounts Across Ontario

Apr. 23 /05 Orphaned wildlife such as 6 two-week old baby raccoons are facing death because of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' barbaric regulations, which mean healthy baby animals either have to be euthanized or left to starve to death. Full story.

Time running out for Dalton McGuinty to honour promise for a progressive wildlife response in Ontario

April 15, 2005 - Letter to Premier

Will there be help for orphaned wildlife in 2005?

Minister of Natural Resources must intercede.

March 11, 2005: Strong public opposition to proposed wildlife rehabilitation regulations has put the decision on hold, but the MNR, with the birthing season days away, has intentionally left wildlife rehabilitators and the public in limbo with regulations that disallow humane or responsible rehab. » Letter to David Ramsay

Natural Resources rabies programme scam uncovered by wildlife rehabilitators

Deadly for wildlife!
Abusive of taxpayers dollars!
Puts human and wildlife health at risk!

February 14, 2005: For the last 4 years the Ministry of Natural Resources has persecuted wildlife rehabilitation organizations in Ontario allegedly to “…protect human health from the deadly disease of rabies” and the health of wildlife populations.  Press release.

Wildlife groups not wild about Trent DNA plan

Activist blasts focus on rabies research; project chief says work will be varied

Feb. 11, 2005: The Peterborough Examiner - Environmentalists have launched an attack on Trent University's planned DNA research facility, saying it will be a vacuum that sucks money away from other important initiatives. Full story.

DNA Cluster project under attack

Rabies boondoggle threatens to create white elephant at Trent University

Feb. 10, 2005: Peterborough, Ont. - Wildlife organizations across Ontario have teamed up with Trent University students and concerned residents to demand an immediate halt to the proposed new DNA research building at Trent University. The Ontario Wildlife Coalition and the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) say the controversial project is threatening to wipe out responsible wildlife rehabilitation across the province, while saddling the university with an expensive “white elephant” that will siphon scarce financial resources from more pressing academic priorities. Press release.

More veterinarians speak out against MNR proposals

Feb. 10, 2005: Dan Rogers DMV, Alta Vista Animal Hospital, Ottawa writes: "The current Ministry of Natural Resources regulations must be changed to bring back responsible care for the wild animals who desperately need our help, as well as reflect the humane response that the public, in our experience, demand."  Read full letter

New wildlife rules pose problems for Kenora rehabilitation facility

January 29, 2005: Lake of the Woods Enterprise - Kenora wildlife custodian Lil Anderson is fearful that new provincial regulations may make it impossible for her to continue the work she’s found so rewarding over the past 25 years. Full story and photo.

Veterinarians appalled at MNR proposals that will eliminate help for wildlife in Ontario

January 25, 2005: Ontario veterinarians respond to the proposed changes to be made to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Program.
Mary Wester Yett, DVM from St. Thomas, Ontario writes: "The proposed title of “Enhanced” Wildlife Rehabilitation Program is a cruel joke!  It is obvious that the intent of the MNR is not to enhance but to almost eliminate wildlife rehabilitation in Ontario if these changes are enacted.  I have been aware for some time of the MNR’s attitude of disapproval towards wildlife rehabilitation in general, but I assure you they are completely out of step with public opinion on this issue."  Read full letter

Orphaned wildlife face death under new regulations

January 7, 2005: London Free Press - When you rescued those two cute baby raccoons crying beside their dead mother on the side of the road last year, you could call an Authorized Wildlife Custodian who volunteers under the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) to raise and release healthy babies back into the wild, where they belong.  Now the government is proposing changes that will virtually eliminate wildlife rehabilitation in Ontario. Full story.

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