KI First Nation objects to Ontario MNR moose survey - Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources News Roundup

The chief of a remote First Nation says the province needs its permission to do an aerial moose survey.

Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug Chief Donny Morris said he opposes a survey the Ministry of Natural Resources expects to conduct around KI this weekend, including on the community’s traditional territory. Morris said he doesn’t trust how the MNR will use the results.

Donny Morris, the chief of a First Nation in northwestern Ontario, doesn’t trust the Ministry of Natural Resources to do an accurate moose count over its territory.

“Are they doing the count to see how many moose there is? And then they’re going to turn around and use that information and say, ‘Yeah, no, you guys can’t hunt, there’s not enough moose,’” he said.
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“People assume we hunt and eat moose meat every day; that’s not the case. It’s only, like, in the fall and sometimes in the wintertime.”

Morris said the ministry is violating the legal requirement for consultation with First Nations.