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Ontario needs a wolf management plan am sure that the people of IOmario would be surprised and upset to know that wolf populaâ€" tions remain at low levels or are declining here. In other areas of the province, the population of wolves is much healthier and in some parts, is actually increasing. The ministry of Natural Resources, the governâ€" ment department responsible for the wolf, has not made this decline widely known. With winter fast approaching and the hunting months upon us, I would like to highlight some conâ€" cerns about the plight of wolves which are unnecessarily, and some would say senselessly, killed either for their fur or simply because they are considered "competitor" aniâ€" mals. Here in Ontario, there is no closed hunting season for wolves â€" except for three winter months in three townships near Algonquin Park. As there are no bag limits on wolves, you may kill as many as you come across. Unfortunately, this also includes pups which hold the key to a healthy population in the future. Wolf numbers have drapped sigâ€" nificantly since Europeans first arrived in Ontario. Currently there are thought to be less than 8,000 left in the province. This is only a rough estimate â€" there have been no seriâ€" ous wolf inventories done by the Ministry of Natural Resources. In truth, there is no wolf management plan for the province â€" even though the wolf, as a high level predator, is essential to the health of deer, moose, and beaver populaâ€" tions. This despite the fact that the wolf naturally keeps these prey popâ€" ulations in check Unfortunately European tales and stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and many of Aesop‘s fables have unfairly painted the wolf in a bad light. in fact far from being a threat to people, there has never been a documented case of a healthy wild wolf killing a human in North America. in comparison, more than 20 people are killed and You said it QUESTION DO YOU THINK IT WAS TOO EARLY TO CALL A FEDERAL ELECTION? It is time that the Ontario governâ€" ment put serious energy and thought into creating a manageâ€" ment plan for wolves in Ontario. The open season and lack of a bag limit must be eliminated. Inflation will rear its ugly head Shall Ontario lose the noble wolf as many European countries have? Our neighbor to the south, so recently without the wolf, lists the three million attacked each year by the domestic dog. It took over a decade of high interest rates to curb that inflation. Today, our central banks have the economies flying and inflation under control. nent Let‘s not ruin it all with exorbiâ€" tant wage increases for the local, provincial and federal politicians, bureaucrats, administrators, civil servants, labour leaders and public boards. s I reflect on the season of A(ikmberfest, it‘s clear that any people participate in the spirit of Oktoberfest by enjoying great food, music and beer However, there is one event which benefits the Kâ€"W community greatly, and unfortunately, hasn‘t had much media coverage. | am referring to the Kâ€"W Oktoberfest 5 km and 10 km Run. The fourth annual run took place on Sunday, Oct. 15. Over 1,400 runners participated. and the proceeds went to the K W Health Centre for the new children‘s It‘s not beer, but it‘s a great story n the 1970s, inflation and high interest rates nearly shut down the whole North American contiâ€" Almost every day we read about "Yes, I do. It‘s just about opprotunism. "I don‘t think so. It doesn‘t matter to me when it‘s called. I think it‘s his (Chretien‘s) right to call an election." ) THE CHRONICLI COMMENT Bill Rieck wolf as an endangered species and even has begun successful reintroâ€" duction programs in the western states. Why does our own governâ€" ment take such an opposite view to the status of the wolf? Surely the time for the government of Ontario to act to preserve the wolf is now. Richard Brooks, M.EC. Earthroots, Wolves Ontario coordinator another group of public employees screaming for a raise just because someone else got one. It seems very strange that many of the taxpayers‘ employees can vote themselves a raise. It seems strange that they get away with it when there is homeâ€" lessness and the social service orgaâ€" nizations â€" such as, the House of Friendship, Anselma House, the YWCA, R.0.O.F, and the counselling services â€" are all desperate for funding. outpatient clinic. Approximately $30,000 was raised. I‘d like to extend my congratulaâ€" tions to the runners and volunteers who participated in making this a great community event. My husband, Rick Shantz raised $7,330 this year for this worthy proâ€" ject. He has raised a total of $20,565 in the four years he has participated in the 10â€"km run I thought you might find this story to be of interest, and hope you can pass it on to your readers.. "Yes | do. I feel it‘s just not the right time for an election." "No, I think we need a change." Stan Duncan Carl Kaufman, Millie Small Lois Shantz, Waterloo Warning: I will be actively involved in the campaign of Richard Walshâ€"Bowers, the NDP candidate in Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo riding. From now until election day, my columns should be read with this fact in mind. To no one‘s great surprise, Prime Minister Chretien took a Sunday drive [across the street) to Rideau Hall and asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament â€" the techâ€" nical term for calling a federal election. It‘s the third time in seven years that Canadians will go to the polls, and the second consecutive time that Chretien has made an early election call after only three and a half years. The cost of conducting a federal election is estimated to be in the neighbourhood of $200 million â€" which does not even include the cost of the Sept. 11 byâ€"elections that brought Stockwell Day and Joe Clark to Parliament, nor the increased political contribution tax credits during an election year. Obviously, it makes sense to ask why we are going to the polls on Nov. 27. ons Unlike 1997, when Chretien stumâ€" e y | bled badly when pressed on why he |f ANOTHER : called a vote in the middle of a major VIEW | ecological disaster (the Manitoba R | flood), he was well briefed this time. g j According to the little guy from CS | Shawinigan, we need to cast our balâ€" haie lots now because there is a budgetary .w surplus and conflicting views on how . [ in } | it should be spent. Nice try, Mr. | Chretien. You were elected in 1997 to [ i ** | make these decisions for the ensuing | four to five years â€" in a word, to "govâ€" | ern". The Liberals had no hesitation in | SCOTT | implementing massive cuts to health | PIATKOWSK | care and other program funding when . | | they were faced with a budget deficit "â€"â€"â€" _ in 1993 and 1994, despite the fact that there were "competing visions" at that time as well. If governments called an election every time they were faced with a competing vision, we‘d be having weekly elections in this country. Moreover, it is highly debatable whether the Liberal vision is really all that different than that put forward by the Alliance. If the Liberals think Stockwell Day‘s policies are scary (which they are), why are they adopting them and expanding on them? Last week‘s miniâ€"budget oneâ€"upped the Alliance on tax cuts and just about every other aspect of fiscal policy. Finance Minister and Liberal leader in waiting (and waiting) Paul Martin actually bragged that the tax cuts being introduced were the largest in Canadian history. Why do we need an election to fight against Stockwell Day‘s policies if the Liberals are going to implement them anyway? The cost of an early election must be calculated in opportuâ€" nities lost, as well as dollars spent. Seventeen pieces of proâ€" posed legislation were killed when parliament prematurely evacuated. This includes reforms to the Young Offenders Act, legislation to protect endangered species, a proposal to put a levy on cigarettes to fund antiâ€"smoking initiatives, and a bill to reverse the Liberals® cuts to Employment Insurance. Of course, the Liberals will argue that we need only reâ€"elect them to see this legislation reintroduced and passed. Unfortunately, this argument does not stand up to scrutiny. in the case of the proposed Endangered Species Act, this was the second time that the Liberals have killed a version of this bill with an early election call. As pathetically weak as the legislaâ€" tion was (eg. it allowed Cabinet, rather than scientists, to decide which endangered species to protect)}, it is a major slap in the face to the environmental community to twice dispose of the matter in such a casual manner. As it stands, Canada has NO legislation protecting endangered species. History is rich in examples of governments who introduce legislation on the eve on an election in order to gain votes, with no intention of following through on that legislation. The most egregious example was the Mulroney government‘s national childcare program, which died on the order paper when the 1988 election was called. In case you haven‘t noticed, we still don‘t have a national child care program in this country Stockwell Day gave the Liberals the excuse they needed to go to the polls when he dared the Prime Minister to do so (which makes the current Alliance posturing on the early elecâ€" tion call a little hard to take}. Ultimately, Jean Chretien called an election now because he thinks he can win it. On Nov. 27, the voters will still have something to say about whether he does Parliament prematurely evacuates ~â€" C en d Ens VIEW _ | | &_3.‘ | I ?&v‘: oc t \l"/ w I