Travel for hunting/fishing now non-essential

[huntingfamily]

Travel for hunting and fishing, whether for food or for recreation is deemed non-essential under the new PHO in British Columbia.

"The B.C. Wildlife Federation sympathizes with your frustrations. However, we encourage you to follow the Provincial Health Orders for everyone’s safety and health." said #BCWF President Chuck Zuckerman.

Facebook link:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3945691328832221&id=212034768864581

[bcsteve]

Been discussed several times on several threads since last Friday.

[huntingfamily]

BCWF President’s Response to Travel Restriction for Hunters & Anglers

The B.C. Wildlife Federation sympathizes with your frustrations. However, we encourage you to follow the Provincial Health Orders for everyone’s safety and health.

We hope that government is just as diligent when it comes to respecting our wildlife habitat and species and will put the same dedicated effort into recruiting more animals to the landscape and fish in the waters. No one advocates for all species as strongly as the BCWF.

Now is the time to start a dialogue comparing the efforts of the government that acknowledges the people of British Columbia to be in a crisis and it is similar to the crisis of our province’s natural beauty and resources.

Unfortunately, the Public Health Order restricts travel for hunting and fishing, whether for food or for recreation, because it is not considered essential.

What needs to be recognized is that when this restriction is rescinded another restriction should be considered to stop the degradation of the environment that is causing the extinction of species.

An unseen virus causes one pandemic, whereas another pandemic is caused by indiscriminate, unfocused decision-making.

Stay Safe and let us embrace our provincial motto: Splendor Sine Occasu, Splendour Without Diminishment

[Redthies]

I’ll stop traveling into the woods the second our idiotic government stops allowing flights full of Covid to arrive at YVR every 2-3 minutes. The fact that international and interprovincial travel is still permitted, and local travel is not is complete bullshit.

[andrew5]

A couple of thoughts off the top of my head:
1. the subtext seems to be that there was no way in hell the BCWF had any leverage or negotiation power against the government on this. This seems to be another example of who resident hunters don't have a unified voice or strong position with our elected officials. Common sense says that self sufficient hunting within your home bubble (in a rec site, for example), poses zero risk of spreading Covid. I would have liked a common sense compromise to have prevailed, but I get the impression that there was never going to be a compromise.

2. the BC government should be looking for every way possible to encourage people to get outdoors and recreate safely. if self sustained spring hunting can be done safely, whether in your health region or another one, then it should have been permitted.

3. restricting your own citizens to move within their own province, when they can do it in a safe manner (see example above) is a scary precedent that doesn't sit well with me.

4. I like that the BCWF at least highlighted the hypocrisy of the "arguably" heavy handed measures they are taking to protect British Columbians from a pandemic with a very low mortality rate among healthy individuals, yet they seem content on managing many of the resources of this province (salmon, Mountain Caribou, Moose etc) to zero.

One day I hope we find a way to unify as resident hunters so that we can actually have a say in matters that affect us when it comes to government. as a new hunter, the optics so far are that even though the various stakeholders share 90% of the same views, we are still way too divided and will continue to see resources, rights and opportunities erode.

[JIL_24/7]

It's called a Public Health Order, but it is filled with "recommendations". Is it an order or a recommendation?

[huntingfamily]

Updated "regional zones" today.
Basically 3 zones - Island, Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley, and the rest of the province.
FB Link:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4515060468512210&id=203652059653094

[IronNoggin]

B.C.’s COVID-19 road checks won’t require travel documents

"Regional travel ban working voluntarily, minister says...

B.C. is beginning enforcement checks of its COVID-19 non-essential travel restrictions, with police checking highway and ferry routes in and out of the Lower Mainland and an emphasis on education, rather than assessing fines.

Road checks will focus on Highway 1 out of Hope to the three B.C. Interior routes, and ferry routes to Vancouver Island. Beyond that, the public health advisory to stay local within the three areas is in effect, and it’s working on a voluntary basis, Farnworth said. The regional travel order (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/travel/current) continues to May 25."

https://www.missioncityrecord.com/news/b-c-s-covid-19-road-checks-wont-require-travel-documents/#

[Carrollizer]

So If I was needing to leave the LML to go to Logan Lake to get my deer meat from a butcher, would that be acceptable?
I am planning on going Sunday morning and back Sunday afternoon

[Linksman313]

Surely travelling for a "protest" will be essential, depending on what side your're on.

[Rob Chipman]

A couple of thoughts off the top of my head:
1. the subtext seems to be that there was no way in hell the BCWF had any leverage or negotiation power against the government on this. This seems to be another example of who resident hunters don't have a unified voice or strong position with our elected officials. Common sense says that self sufficient hunting within your home bubble (in a rec site, for example), poses zero risk of spreading Covid. I would have liked a common sense compromise to have prevailed, but I get the impression that there was never going to be a compromise.


To be completely honest it took us by a bit if surprise. We had discussed addressing the disconnect between getting the government to declare hunting and fishing essential, and their subsequent flip flop to "travel for hunting renders it recreational", but that was right before the latest restrictions.

We had thought we were going in the right direction and that this would not be an issue by the fall. The AGM and planning for it also took up some bandwidth.

In short, Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister Adrian Dix never gave us a heads up on the most recent change and we were surprised by it.

BCWF will be addressing this. Tied into that is the idea that non-Indigenous hunting is merely "recreational" and the use of the term "recreational hunter" or "recreational angler". We passed a resolution at the AGM last weekend for BCWF to stop using that language and to try to get it out of the public conversation.

"Recreational" is increasingly weaponized in order to dismiss the concerns of stakeholders and we need to get rid of it.

[andrew5]

HI Rob,

Hats off to you for sharing all of the ever changing information with us all. I can't see this being in effect for the Fall, given where the vaccination percentage for the province will be, but it would be good to not take anything for granted and start pushing now.

Thanks again.

[Rob Chipman]

^^^^ Seems logical to get back to work on it, for sure.