The Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie is calling on the provincial government to reconsider the permit approval process that regulates night hunting in southern Manitoba.

Currently there is a group of stakeholders petitioning the Government of Canada to encourage the Province of Manitoba to institute the complete prohibition of night hunting in the province, south of the 53rd parallel. While the RM isn't calling for such drastic measures, the issue was discussed during this week's council meeting, where Reeve Kam Blight addressed a letter to Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister outlining concerns with the permit process.

"We fully appreciate the constitutional pressures on your government, and again, appreciate the right of First Nations to their treaty rights, as interpreted by the courts. However, there is a major safety issue at work with the proposed permitting system, and we seem to have difficulty in getting our voices heard," reads the letter. "The Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie is large and predominantly agricultural. However, there are pockets of Crown land located throughout the municipality and along the south shore of Lake Manitoba and Delta Marsh. The Crown land is close to inhabited farms, to recreational uses of trails and conservation corridors, and users of Lake Manitoba."

Citing threats to public safety, the petition states there continues to be ambiguity and ongoing discussion regarding the rights associated with hunting past dusk. Moreover, the correspondence reads that the specific issue of night hunting raises considerable concern regarding safety, due to the large populations, including but not limited to farmers, ranchers, workers, and people participating in outdoor activities and leisure in southern latitudes.

In October, 2020 the Province introduced legislation to address the public safety risks of illegal and unethical hunting. The practice of night hunting became illegal in Manitoba for all licensed hunters, and on private land. However, the Province created a permit system to allow opportunities for rights-based hunting on some Crown land, and put in place different requirements for northern and southern Manitoba.

In the letter, Blight states that bullets travel far, and rules regarding distances from dwellings and farm buildings are easily ignored, and more so in the dark. Additionally, the potential of a tragic shooting accident is high, and the actuality of this is only a matter of time. As a resolution, the RM suggested to Pallister that permits not be granted for smaller pieces of Crown land, and only approved for large, multi-section blocks of land.

"We reiterate our support for the First Nations and their treaty rights to hunt, but we do ask that safety considerations be explicit in any final agreement," concludes the letter.