The Township of Wellesley will finally see a resolution to a request for Sunday gun hunting that was tabled earlier this summer.
Meeting Tuesday night, councillors agreed to vote on the subject at their next scheduled meeting set for Sept. 20 in Crosshill.
“I think there’s enough information. I’m satisfied with the information I have and I’ve canvassed people around the area and I’m very confident in the decision that I will be making at the time, so I would like to see this get resolved,” said Coun. Herb Neher.
The issue was raised after a petition was submitted to council by Dusan A. Cizman that included some 51 signatures of township residents in opposition to the Sunday gun hunting proposal.
No delegates for or against the bylaw change were present at Tuesday’s meeting, and Mayor Ross Kelterborn read the petition aloud.
“We have problems now six days a week […]. We all need a day of rest and worship, and do not need strangers trespassing on our rural lands,” he read.
“Approximately 12.5 per cent of Wellesley is wooded to some extent, not enough to kill and find wildlife.”
The change to the bylaw was proposed back on July 4 when delegates from the Nith River Wild Turkey Conservation Association (NRWTCA) and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters made an appeal to councillors to permit Sunday gun hunting.
They argued it would decrease predation on crops and livestock, would help increase public safety and potentially provide increased economic activity in the area.
NRWTCA president Derek Snyder called the law “outdated” and suggested that Wellesley should follow the lead of other townships that have made the change to permit Sunday gun hunting, including neighbouring Wilmot Township.
At the time, councillors were concerned that Sunday gun hunting would disrupt the religious members of the township, but agreed to take the information provided to them to their constituents over the summer.
The municipality on at least two occasions within the last several years passed a resolution not to support Sunday hunting, most recently in 2006.
In the Region of Waterloo, only North Dumfries and Wilmot allow Sunday hunting, while 172 municipalities across the province also permit it.
Next Article
Latest run in Terry Fox’s memory set for Sept. 18
