Fur trappers got a thumbs up for the work they do from the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry John Yakabuski Friday at the Fur Harvesters warehouse.
Yakabuski showed his support in a material way by announcing $1.1 m in funding to support the trapping industry.
The Ontario Fur Managers Federation will use it to administer a trapping education program and to provide licence services for trappers and trapping instructors.
Yakabuski told CKAT that trappers play a vital role in wildlife control and the government wants to support it.
“Trapping is a huge part of Ontario’s economy and the culture too. We depend on the Fur Managers Association to provide the knowledge, the educational programs and the licensing for the trappers to ensure they are being continuously upgraded on the most up to date and humane methods of conducting their trapping,” he says.
The Association provides the service on behalf of the government.
"It's a partnership that has worked very, very well and we're very happy that the Fur Managers Association continues to be willing to take on that responsibility.
"They make their living in this business. They know trapping," he explained to reporters.
About 8,000 trapping licences are issued in Ontario every year.
The General Manager of the Ontario Fur Managers Federation is Robin Horwath.
He says they’ve been doing this work for more than 20 years.
“If we weren’t here to do this work for the government I don’t know who would be,” he says.
Horwath says for over two decades they’ve been helping the ministry and he’s glad that work will continue including issuing harvest reports.
