Deer hunt opponents want support

Don’t tell Robin Zavitz the Short Hills Provincial Park native deer hunt is safe for area residents.

Zavitz, whose Roland Rd. property abuts the park, showed a number of photos to Niagara Region councillors Thursday proving, she said, her land was trespassed upon by aboriginal hunters.

Through a long-standing treaty agreement, native hunters have been allowed into the closed park to kill deer with bows and arrows. A first hunt in the park took place over four days in January 2013 and a second hunt was scheduled for eight days in November.

Zavitz is a member of the Short Hills Wildlife Alliance, a group opposed to the native hunt. Zavitz and fellow alliance member Sheila Krekorian were at council to raise their “great concerns” over the safety of the hunt.

Krekorian thanked regional councillors for their decision Oct. 31 to write letters in opposition to the hunt to Premier Kathleen Wynne and Natural Resources Minister David Orazietti.

Since the letters failed to stop the fall hunt, Krekorian and Zavitz were at council to update elected officials on what the alliance feels are safety issues that could lead to the province putting a stop to future native hunts in the park.

Zavitz reiterated her prediction from Oct. 31 that the MNR would not be able “to secure the park and these hunts are a huge public safety issue.”

She said her concerns where that hunters would cross the boundaries of the hunt zone in pursuit of deer.

“I don’t need to predict anymore … this is in fact exactly what happened on our property on Nov. 23,” Zavitz said.

The photos in her presentation purport to show a wounded deer on neighbouring private property, a native hunter who was in its pursuit, signs at the edge of her property warning to Keep Out, and Zavitz having a “heated” conversation with a Ministry of Natural Resources official.