August 12, 2024

Honorable Minister Jamie Moses, 

On behalf of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association, I want to express the extreme frustration with the recent announcement to reduce outfitters’ moose allocations by 50% for the 2026-2029 allocation agreements. Minister Moses, I met with you two days prior to outfitters receiving this notice and was assured that your government was focussed on sustainability, ensuring access for all to hunt and fish for years to come and to allow operators to have successful businesses. I questioned whether further changes were looming and was offered nothing. I’m shocked that you were aware of a multi-million dollar cut to our industry and did not bring it up in our meeting. When asked how we could assist your government with the outlined goals, your response was simply that your government did not want to be misrepresented as being against hunting and fishing. Our response to you was, “then you need to change the narrative”. Honorable Minister, this most recent announcement continues to follow the narrative that decisions around the sustainability of our wildlife are not backed with science, that decisions are being made without consultation with affected user groups and that access for all and a strong hunt fish tourism sector are not of importance. The government was elected to represent all Manitoba residents and there is a democratic process that needs to be upheld. 

Licensed hunters, anglers and outfitters contribute an estimated 1.1 billion dollars in direct spending to the province and the moose hunt is a significant portion of that. These operators are a huge economic driver to Northern airlines and businesses who also serve First Nations communities. Hotels and restaurants along the U.S. travel routes, grocery, hardware, retail and fuel businesses are just a handful of others that will be directly impacted. These economics have clearly not been considered. 

A portion of the sale of resident, Canadian resident and non-Canadian resident hunting and fishing licenses go directly to conservation in our province. The recent 75% reduction to licensed resident moose hunting was a significant hit to conservation. This most recent 50% reduction to moose outfitters is yet another massive hit to the future of conservation in our province. Licensed hunters and anglers are directly funding conservation, yet continuously being eliminated from the harvest and the discussions around its management. 

Moose harvest by outfitters is tightly regulated; we harvest only bulls, and most operators self-manage their areas with minimum bull sizes to ensure sustainable populations and viable long-term businesses. By our estimates, outfitters harvest only approximately 60 bulls per season, but this incredibly small harvest of moose generates a significant economic impact. These operators have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into infrastructure to run these camps, most of which are fly-in access only and don’t experience the pressure on moose populations that road access areas feel. Where is the data to support this ridiculous and arbitrary 50% cut?

On behalf of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association we are requesting an urgent meeting to discuss the recent announcement. Given the gravity of this situation and the lack of transparent communication, we are requesting the presence of the Honorable Premier Wab Kinew and Deputy Minister Dana Rudy. We look forward to your prompt response on the matter.

Respectfully, 

Melanie MacCarthy

President

Manitoba Lodges & Outfitters Association 

Cc: 

Hon. Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba

Hon. Dana Rudy, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources

Hon. Glen Simard, Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism

Hon. Jeff Hnatiuk, Deputy Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism

Hon. Ian Bushie, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations, and Minister of Indigenous Economic Development

Hon. Bruce Gray, Deputy Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations, and Minister of Indigenous Economic Development

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