The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has a broad mandate that includes the sustainable management of fish and wildlife. This diverse program includes resource management activities such as enforcement, resource monitoring, policy and program development, resource allocation, licensing, research, and fish stocking.
Ontarian’s benefit from healthy fish and wildlife resources through recreation, employment, tourism and spin-off benefits to the biodiversity of Ontario’s ecosystems. Ontario has 1.32 million licenced anglers and over 400,000 hunters. The 2010 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada estimates the value of Ontario's recreational fisheries at $2.5 billion and hunting is estimated to contribute another $1.8 billion. Together, recreational fishing and hunting provide more than $4 billion to the Ontario economy. In addition, commercial fishing harvests of approximately $35 – 40 million in fish annually create additional economic value through the processing and retail sale of resultant food products. However, trends in fishing and hunting participation, demographics and the economy are impacting the funding available for MNR’s fish and wildlife program and Ontario's resource-based tourism industry which includes approximately 1,575 licensed tourist operators generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues annually, and account for a significant portion of tourism revenue for Northern Ontario.
MNR’s Fish and Wildlife program is supported by the consolidated revenue fund (CRF) which includes general provincial taxes and a Special Purpose Account (SPA). In 1995, the SPA was established through the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (FWCA) ensuring revenues from licence sales, permits, royalties, fines and fees be used exclusively to fund MNR’s fish and wildlife program. The rules for managing this fund are governed by the Province’s Special Purpose Account Policy (2003).
This program costs approximately $100M annually to deliver programs and services across Ontario, with 67% of funding from the SPA and 33% from CRF. Trends in licence sales and participation in fishing and hunting have changed since the 1995 establishment of the Fish and Wildlife SPA. For example, the number of licenced anglers has declined over the past 15 years from 1.61M in 1995 to 1.26M in 2010 (Source: Department of Fisheries and Oceans). Based on the demographic profile of current licensees and declines in angling participation, MNR will need to reduce fish and wildlife program expenditures starting in 2015 in order to maintain a positive SPA balance. In a recent Consumer Research Survey (Harris/Decima 2013), clients and the public were asked about their preferences for trade-offs given this forecast, and 95% of respondents favoured alternatives to increase funding and sustain the program through various new revenue initiatives over program and service delivery reductions. Only 5% of respondents supported the reduction of the fish and wildlife management program.
Jurisdictions in the US and Canadian western provinces have demonstrated that new, innovative strategies to address fish and wildlife program funding sustainability can be successful by using a blend of initiatives such as new licence offerings to better meet client needs, broadening the client base beyond traditional users, increased transparency and public reporting to show how licence dollars are spent, cost efficiencies, diversification of revenue streams, improved client services to respond to emerging needs, and targeted marketing.
The draft Sustainability Strategy for the Fish and Wildlife Special Purpose Account, 2014-2019 proposes to stabilize and moderately increase revenues to the Fish and Wildlife SPA through a variety of goals, strategies and tactics including strategic review of licences, diversifying revenue streams, marketing and promotion, cost efficiencies, and transparent reporting. Should the strategy be approved, some regulatory change proposals may follow.
The Strategy proposes three goals to sustain fish and wildlife programming well into the future:
1. Increase Fish and Wildlife SPA revenue by enhancing relationships with existing clients, increasing participation, and diversifying revenues
2. Apply Fair Cost Recovery and Value by ensuring licence fees and royalty rates are transparent and based on costs, benefits and a fair rate of return to the Province for the use of the resource
3. Enhance Efficiency by improving program efficiency and finding opportunities for savings thereby allowing more fiscal resources to be directed to fish and wildlife conservation.
The proposed strategies and tactics focus on:
• Enhancing relationships with clients
• Increasing involvement by attracting new participants
• Diversifying revenues
• Improving cost recovery
• Modernizing fees and royalties
• Collaborating with partners to achieve shared goals
Purpose of Policy:
To give notice of and invite comments on the draft Sustainability Strategy for the Fish and Wildlife Special Purpose Account, 2014-2019.
Other Information:
The following web link provides additional information.
Draft Sustainability Strategy for the Fish and Wildlife Special Purpose Account, 2014-2019 http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodcons...rod_110525.pdf
Public Consultation:
This proposal has been posted for a 47 day public review and comment period starting April 16, 2014. If you have any questions, or would like to submit your comments, please do so by June 02, 2014 to the individual listed under "Contact". Additionally, you may submit your comments on-line.
All comments received prior to June 02, 2014 will be considered as part of the decision-making process by the Ministry of Natural Resources if they are submitted in writing or electronically using the form provided in this notice and reference EBR Registry number 012-0623.
Please Note: All comments and submissions received will become part of the public record. You will not receive a formal response to your comment, however, relevant comments received as part of the public participation process for this proposal will be considered by the decision maker for this proposal.
Other Public Consultation Opportunities:
Consultation to date includes the following:
• 23 presentations at stakeholder sessions from Dec. 2012 to Mar. 2013 (Appendix A)
• Focus session for key stakeholders from Nov. 2013 to Feb. 2014 (Appendix B)
In addition, the Strategy is based on evidence obtained through a Consumer Research Survey conducted in August – September 2013 of a statistically representative number of licence clients, lapsed clients (i.e., that have not renewed their licence in 3 years) and the general population (2005 respondents in total).
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Contact:
All comments on this proposal must be directed to:
Silvia Strobl
Project Manager
Ministry of Natural Resources
Provincial Services Division
Fish and Wildlife Services Branch
300 Water Street
Peterborough Ontario
K9J 8M5
Phone: (705) 755-3208
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over 65 no more free fishing
Originally Posted by JJZ
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