Dog train-and-trial decision made – Ontario OUT of DOORS
The Ministry of Natural Resources has amended the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, (FWCA) and associated regulations, to allow for the issuance of licences for new dog train-and-trial areas.
Dog trial-and-train areas are licensed, enclosed properties that are permitted to hold – depending on property size – coyote, red fox, varying hare, and cottontail for the purpose of teaching scenting dogs hunting skills and testing those skills. There are currently only 24 in Ontario.
The decision, posted on Oct. 1 on the Environmental Registry of Ontario, allows for a one-time 90-day period (from Oct. 1 to Dec. 29, 2024) for individuals to submit applications to establish a new train-and- trial areas. Interested parties are asked to contact dogtraintrial@ontario.ca for information on submitting an application.
The passing of Ontario’s Less Red Tape, Stronger Economy Act 2023 (Bill 91) in June 2023, amended the FWCA which paved the way for the decision.
As a result, consequential changes to the Wildlife in Captivity regulation came into effect on Oct. 1, 2024.
Dog train-and-trial changes
Those changes include:
- enabling the transfer of existing licences to new operators
- prescribing the one-time 90-day application period for new train-and-trial areas
- clarifying record keeping requirements
- prohibiting dog train and trial area licence holders from keeping cottontail and snowshoe hares that have been imported into Ontario to help prevent the introduction of rabbit hemorrhagic disease
- other consequential administrative amendments
The decision drew 11,562 comments on the ERO. Commenters supportive of the changes were grateful for more safe areas where their hounds could run without the infringing on private property. Many said these facilities were needed to help uphold the sporting hound tradition, especially with the increasingly development of available land where hounds could run.