Doug Ford's caucus split as niche hunting dog game expansion plan was killed, then resurrected

A decision on whether to expand an obscure dog sport in Ontario sparked a split within Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative caucus that saw the premier agree to scrap a new licensing arrangement before later resurrecting it, The Canadian Press has learned.

At trial and train areas, hunters can release dogs in large, fenced areas to hunt prey such as coyotes, foxes and rabbits. The provincial government claims they are safe for both dogs and wildlife.

In the spring of last year, after a long lobbying campaign from some railroads and test hunters, the province released a proposal through the Environmental Registry that would allow for a one-time, 90-day license application period and allow licenses to be transferred. New owners. The changes were part of an omnibus red tape bill that became law in June 2023.

The dog sport had been dying out for decades. In 1997, the Progressive Conservative government of then-premier Mike Harris began phasing out the practice by ceasing to issue the licenses required to operate dog trains and testing areas in the province. It also made it illegal to sell or transfer those licenses.

At the time, there were over 60 such areas in Ontario. That number has dropped to 24. All of them are on private property and must be fully enclosed.

The training component sees hunting dogs released into these areas, which are often hundreds of hectares in size but fenced around the perimeter. Dogs learn to hunt animals such as coyotes, which are caught in the wild and re-homed in these areas.

The testing portion includes competitions with judges scoring the dogs on their hunting skills. Points are awarded and champions are crowned.

After the Canadian Press published news of the unannounced expansion plans last year, two former conservation officials spoke about the pens based on their experience researching the years the Harris government tightened regulations.

Rick Maw and Wayne Lintack say the dog sport is cruel to captive hunters and impossible to enforce well-meaning rules.

The two said the industry has long been plagued by problems, including the illegal trapping of coyotes and fenced-in barns as prey for dogs. They also busted a coyote smuggling ring.

The laws are unenforceable, former conservation officials say

On April 2, 2006, conservation officers set out for a series of raids across southern and central Ontario. They captured about two dozen live coyotes and charged hundreds. The criminal case eventually fell apart because it took too long to get to trial, but the province closed a train-and-test area where coyotes were packed into a warehouse.

Maw and Lintack said laws that attempt to regulate the practice, while well-intentioned to protect animals, are largely unenforceable. While their initial audits of the closed space eventually passed with flying colors, they said they had to go undercover to find out what was really going on.

As debate continues over last year's omnibus law, both urged the government to reconsider the extension. The committee that studied the game's expansion was inundated with hundreds of other complaints from the public, though the bill eventually passed.

Six Progressive Conservatives, including two cabinet members, spoke to The Canadian Press about the issue. They agreed to share the details on condition of anonymity so as not to risk openly discussing the government's internal machinations about the game.

Sources said the news of the expansion, warned by former provincial protection officials, caused a split within the party. That divide deepened in August 2023 when the advocacy organization Animal Justice released a video of someone being secretly sent to a train and trial area outside Kingston.

The video shows a number of pinny-clad dogs running through the woods chasing a coyote, as the hunters' discussion can be heard in the background. A man is heard bragging about how coyotes come down year round.

A divided caucus

Many Progressive Conservatives actively lobbied against the game's expansion in light of animal cruelty concerns.

Backbenchers Christine Hogarth and Jess Dixon led the charge, sources said. Neither of them responded to requests for comment. Both are animal lovers who consider the game cruel, sources said.

Their concerns have been welcomed by many within the party. Both Ford and Natural Resources Minister Graydon Smith were convinced to let the expansion plans die without putting a new permit application process in place, the sources said.

“It made sense to let it die on the vine because it was an unnecessary distraction for us,” said one cabinet member.

“Frankly, most of us didn't even know this dog game existed, and if Harris wanted it to go away 25 years ago, most of us felt it was reason enough to quietly reverse it.”

By early September, word of the reverse made its way to the hunters, who began another letter-writing campaign addressed to Ford and Smith.

Members of the Ontario Field Trialers, a Facebook group popular among hunters, were fuming.

“Following the release of the video recorded by Animal Justice and mounting pressure from animal rights activists and increasing election potential, Premier Doug Ford has turned his back on the hunting and hunting community and decided not to open the application process, thus defeating everything. We wanted,” a Member wrote in early September.

“I urge everyone to contact their local MP, (Natural Resources) Minister Graydon Smith and Doug Ford's office to let them know how this will hurt them in the upcoming election.”

Potential early election changed Ford's mind: sources

Ford has not ruled out calling an early election before the 2025 scheduled election date of June 2026.

With that possibility falsified, pressure from hunters led the prime minister to change course a second time, Progressive Conservative sources said.

“It was really about appeasing the hunters and gaining support if we had an election,” said a second cabinet member.

“Although most of us had never heard of this sport before, and frankly, the whole thing seemed strange.”

Ford's office declined to comment.

The minister's office has defended the decision

The facilities are safe for both dogs and wildlife, said Melissa Candelaria, spokeswoman for the Minister of Natural Resources.

“These facilities prepare sporting dogs and their handlers for animal tracking and competitions while ensuring a safe environment that protects both dogs and wildlife from public areas, where this activity is not monitored or regulated,” Candelaria said.

“Contact between sporting dogs and wildlife is actively avoided and safeguards are in place to maintain safety for both.”

The areas are regularly inspected, she said, and must adhere to strict standards set out in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, with stiff fines of upwards of $100,000 and up to two years in prison for noncompliance. Operators must also comply with the provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, she said.

“Conservation officers do not hesitate to enforce the law on facilities that do not meet the required standards of wildlife care,” she said.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters said they are happy to see the government moving forward.

“The licensing process was developed with the help of experts and stakeholders like OFAH and the Canadian Kennel Club, allowing this tradition to continue responsibly while reinforcing the already rigorous standards for the safety and care of wildlife,” said Mark Rickman, policy manager. Federation.

A 'blood sport,' animal rights groups say

Last month, Animal Justice filed a petition for a review of the province's environmental rights bill's compliance with the law. The group alleges “the facilities are harmful to the environment, including Ontario's wildlife.”

The group is not happy with Ford's face.

“We went undercover to determine the extent of the cruelty involved in caging and chasing these animals and were shocked by what we saw, including coyotes running for their lives in enclosed areas,” said Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice.

“We heard participants admit that coyotes and other animals are routinely caught and killed by dogs and all these deaths cause pens to be restocked throughout the season. We quickly determined that this is blood sport that has no place in a kind province like Ontario.”

The province is currently accepting applications for train and test licences. The application period is set to close at the end of December, with approvals likely coming in the New Year.