Mantha’s News from the Park : Town Hall w/NDP Leader, Hydro One Sale & Bear Encounters
Algoma-Manitoulin NDP MPP Michael Mantha
My colleagues and I have received numerous calls regarding the increase in Bear activity throughout Northern Ontario.
The NDP has continuously pressured the Minister of Natural Resources to step up and take some responsibility on the issue of wildlife management in the north.
Liberal budget cuts to MNR have resulted in the cancellation of the live trapping and relocation of nuisance bears and in its place left people with a 1-800 tip line.
I have received dozens of calls from constituents reporting problems with bears which have worsened since these MNR cuts.
We are pleased to announce the expansion of the Northern Bear Report online service to include all of Northern Ontario. Going forward, the Northern Bear Report will be operated jointly by NDP MPPs across Northern Ontario.
With more than 60 reports of black bear encounters reported to northernbearreport.com in the past two weeks, the initial launch of the online reporting website has been very successful. Based on the high volume of reports, photos, and video evidence of bear encounters submitted to the fledgling Northern Bear Report service so far, it has already become apparent that bear encounters are vastly underreported in the North.
Click to visit site.
Together, France Gélinas, (Nickel Belt), Sarah Campbell (Kenora – Rainy River), Michael Mantha (Algoma Manitoulin), Gilles Bisson, (Timmins-James Bay), and John Vanthof (Timiskaming- Cochrane) will use the information collected to convince the Ontario Government to exercise due diligence, and take a proactive approach to wildlife management.
We encourage residents to report bear encounters to Bear Wise (1-866-514-2327) as well as the NorthernBearReport.com. The photos and experiences submitted to date are proving to be very helpful in substantiating our case for more effective nuisance bear management by the Province.
As always, do not hesitate to call 911 if a threatening encounter with a black bear occurs.
Also this week NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will be coming through Algoma-Manitoulin and co-hosting a Town Hall on the Hydro One sale at the Renaissance Centre in Elliot Lake, August 18 at 7:30 pm.
The government’s own polling data shows what New Democrats have been hearing from concerned Ontarians in town halls and community meetings across the province. An overwhelming majority of Ontarians –three quarters of all those surveyed– do not want Hydro One sold off to private interests.
Nothing about this Liberal sell-off of Hydro One is transparent or accountable. It took a freedom of information request from NDP research to get the government to cough up this damning piece of information. It’s time for Kathleen Wynne to listen to Ontarians, stop this sell-off, and keep Hydro One in public hands where it belongs
We want to hear your concerns. I hope that some of you will be able to join us.
As always, please feel free to contact my office about this issue, or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca or by phone at 705-461-9710/1-800-831-1899.
MPP Michael Mantha, Algoma-Manitoulin
