© Emma Levez Larocque
There are times when it is important for us to stand up and let our voices be heard, to speak for animals because they can’t speak (in human words) for themselves. It has recently been brought to our attention at Vegan Mainstream that the Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario, Canada, is planning sweeping changes to a number of its “wildlife-related licences” in order to streamline their processes and save time and effort for users.
Many of us would probably agree that bureaucracy can be a cumbersome thing; however a lot of these changes benefit humans, and don’t seem to be so good for the animals. As a result of these “efficiencies” how many animals will now fail to be protected, where they might have been protected before?
For example, “Residents will no longer be required to obtain a Resident Licence to Hunt Raccoon at Night” (though they must still have a small game licence); “Under the proposed change, at the request of the landowner, licenced hunters will be permitted to harass or kill certain species of wildlife if the wildlife is damaging or about to damage the landowner’s property, provided that the activity is permitted by municipal by-laws”; “Under the proposed change, businesses that are undertaking certain activities that already require consideration of environmental values (e.g. maintenance of telecommunications towers or transmission corridors, forest management) will be permitted to destroy the nests and eggs of certain species of birds without MNR approval” – and the lists go on.
In reading this document, I felt myself reacting to the language in this document, period. My objection went further than the changes to the licensing and red tape. Why do we think it’s acceptable to harrass, kill and destroy any wildlife? The Environmental Registry is inviting comments until January 21st. This is a good opportunity to take a stand and voice your opinion. Here is the link to the complete document, and where you can submit a comment.
Emma Levez Larocque is an author and photographer living on the west coast of Canada. She has been veg for 18 years, vegan for 3. Her passion is working to make veganism mainstream to promote a better, kinder world for all beings. 
