The financial penalty for failing to submit a mandatory hunter report two or more times for a species in Ontario is increasing.
The changes, made through amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, come after consultation via an Environmental Registry of Ontario posting that was open from Aug. 15 to Oct. 1.
The surcharge replaces the one year prevent from purchase for two or more consecutive failures to submit a report as part of the graduated penalty framework, the Ministry of Natural Resources stated on Dec. 20.
Until July 1, 2026, any failure to report will result in a $25 surcharge penalty, while any consecutive failure to report after that date will cost hunters a $50 surcharge that will be applied to each failure to report until a report for the species is submitted.
Graduated penalties supported
Consultation on the original proposal to implement mandatory hunter reporting in 2019 indicated that most hunters and stakeholders were supportive of tools to encourage compliance, the ministry stated.
Comments on this proposal revealed the same but indicated some prefer an approach that penalizes hunters without preventing them from hunting. Some expressed support for the existing graduated penalty approach suggesting the prevent from purchase is necessary to achieve the desired response rates, the ministry stated. No changes were made to the proposal as a result of feedback received.
The ministry will monitor the results of the change to a graduated financial penalty once fully implemented in 2027, the ministry stated, pointing out that if the change does not result in the expected response rates necessary to ensure the best quality data, further changes may be considered in the future.
A new fishing and hunting licensing service is expected to be launched in late 2026.
For more information, please refer to: https://www.ontario.ca/page/hunter-reporting
So you pay all this money to hunt and fish and now you have to do their work…or your fined
What happened to our rights
Contrary to the tv hunters, and social media participants, hunting is still an intensely personal thing to the majority of hunters. Most hunters choose not to disclose exact locations or methods or even harvest details for that matter. There are a few blabbermouths and braggarts but for the most part where, when, and what you did when afield is nobodies business as long as no laws were broken and the hunt was ethical. MNR should get out there and DO THEIR JOB, instead of asking hunters to do it for them. What happened to aerial surveys over winter yarding areas? This should not only be easy and accurate, but also cost effective in this age of technology and drones etc.. The MNR would much rather have an additional income by adding a tax on those who wish to maintain their right to privacy. IT IS THAT SIMPLE.
The MNR has colossally mismanaged the deer and moose herds in Ontario and their reactive strategy of management through enforcement is a dismal failure. Several game species could simply be evaluated by roadside observation. Habitat is continually being threatened by land clearing & the draining of swamps and wetlands, which goes on unchecked in much of Ontario’s farmland. This has resulted in once rich and diverse woodlands be reduced to a few token trees at best. In some areas you can now see from one concession road right thru to the next so game counts should be a breeze with a simple pair of binoculars. This habitat reduction has affected deer populations to the point of crash levels but the MNR has yet to reduce tag limits as this would cut into the revenue stream. I’d suggest they get bent and although I’m no legal expert, I’m wondering how withholding a license for not reporting (the obvious MNR next step) would stand up to a court challenge? No other license system requires reporting of any kind once the fees have been paid and the license granted. What’s next in this nanny state? a report on where I drove, when I drove, what I did, who my passengers or cargo were, so I can renew my DL???