Swan River MLA, Rick Wowchuk, has introduced new legislation to increase fines for the illegal killing of protected wildlife species in Manitoba.
Wowchuk is the PC Critic for Natural Resources and has put this new Bill forward, Bill 221, to deter poaching by raising penalties and to align Manitoba's laws with our neighboring provinces.
Case in point ....
In December of 2023 a call came into the Wildlife Rehab Hotline with a report that a Bald Eagle had been shot in Southeastern Manitoba.
The eagle was alive at the time, but critically injured when the staff from Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre and a Manitoba Conservation Officer arrived on scene.
Following a tip on the 1-800 Turn in Poachers (TIPS) Hotline, Manitoba COs tracked down the illegal hunter and charges were laid under the Wildlife Act for hunting on private land without permission and for killing an eagle, which is a protected species in Manitoba. The man was fined just over $1100 and his high-calibre rifle was seized.
Under Manitoba's Wildlife Act, offenders can be fined up to $25,000 or sentenced to jail for up to six months, or both.
Bill 2-21 would increase the fine to a maximum of $100,000 for first offense, and $200,000 for a repeat offender.
Wowchuk is an avid outdoorsman and lifelong advocate for conservation and hunter education. He says stronger penalties are needed. “As a proud hunter and conservationist, I believe we have a responsibility to protect the wildlife we hold dear to our heritage and our shared way of life in Manitoba,” he says. “Strengthening these penalties sends a clear message to poachers that we take conservation seriously.”
Manitoba has the lowest fines in the western provinces when it comes to killing protected species.
In British Columbia, the first conviction for killing a protected species is a fine up to $100,000 or one year in jail, or both. On each subsequent conviction, fines are up to 200,000 or up to two years in jail, or both.
In Alberta, fines are up to $100,000, or up to two years jail, or both. As well, the perpetrator's recreational hunting license is automatically cancelled and that person's right to obtain or hold any such license would be suspended for two years.
In Saskatchewan, fines for shooting a bald eagle can be up to $100,000 and hunting equipment that was used in the act can also be forfeited to the Crown.
Manitoba's protected species include all raptors like bald eagles, golden eagles, hawk and falcons. Burrowing owls and trumpeter swans are also on the protected species list, as is cougars and of course our northern friends the polar bears.
Currently, under Manitoba's Wildlife Act, offenders can be fined up to $25,000 or sentenced to jail for up to six months, or both. A convicted offender can also have their hunting license automatically cancelled and be suspended for holding any such license for one year.
MLA Wowchuk has proposed the following Wildlife Act amendments to increase the penalties for unlawfully hunting or trapping an animal of a protected species through Bill 221:
- A convicted person is subject to a fine ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to one year. A repeat offender is subject to a fine ranging from $20,000 to $200,000 and imprisonment for up to two years.
- The right of a convicted person to hold a hunting licence is suspended for two years and a repeat offender's right to hold a hunting licence is suspended indefinitely.
"So, this new legislation would bring us right in line with the rest of Western Canada," adds Wowchuk. "These animals are part of our heritage. They're not plentiful and losing one is a is a big loss."
Please listen to more with MLA Rick Wowchuck below!
Wowchuk is encouraging all MLAs to support Bill 221 and to help promote responsible hunting practices across the province.
Anyone with information on illegal hunting activities is encouraged to contact a local conservation office or the TIP hotline at 1-800-782-0076.
(photo credit Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre)