National
Parks Canada deer hunt project to cost taxpayers $12 million
From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Author: Ryan Thorpe
The expert marksmen, from the United States and New Zealand, only managed to kill 84 deer. Eighteen were the wrong kind of deer
At $10,000 a deer, this is already an expensive hunting trip.
But the bill is about to get a lot bigger.
Parks Canada has earmarked $12 million for its controversial plan to eradicate a deer species and restore native vegetation on a tiny island in British Columbia, according to access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“It’s hard to imagine how Parks Canada could spend millions shooting deer,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “Here’s the kicker: hunters who actually live on the island are bagging these deer for free.”
The $12-million Fur to Forest program is a Parks Canada effort to eradicate the European fallow deer population on Sidney Island (located between the coast of B.C. and Vancouver Island), and restore native vegetation, tree seedlings and shrubs.
So far, Parks Canada has employed exotically expensive hunting techniques.
Foreign sharpshooters armed with restricted semi-automatic rifles hunted the deer during phase one of the operations. Phase one cost more than $800,000, including $67,000 spent renting a helicopter, for a hit to taxpayers of $10,000 a head.
The expert marksmen, from the United States and New Zealand, only managed to kill 84 deer. Eighteen were the wrong kind of deer – native black-tailed deer. They weren’t able to confirm the species of the three other deer shot.
It is illegal to harvest the wrong species of animal during a hunt in B.C.
Meanwhile, residents of Sidney Island organized their own hunt last fall. They killed 54 deer at no cost to taxpayers.
“It’s crazy that Parks Canada flew in marksmen from other countries to shoot deer,” Terrazzano said. “It’s even crazier that these ‘marksmen’ kept shooting the wrong kind of deer.”
It’s been widely reported the project will cost $5.9 million.
But the records obtained by the CTF show the story gets worse for taxpayers. A detailed project budget obtained through an access-to-information request reveals Parks Canada plans to spend $11.9 million on the scheme.
Taxpayers will be on the hook for $4.1 million for the killing of deer on Sidney Island, according to the records. An additional $2.8 million will go towards the salaries and benefits of Parks Canada staff.
A total of $137,000 will be spent on “firearms certification for international workers” throughout the project, while $1.4 million will go towards studies and analysis, and nearly $800,000 is earmarked for “Indigenous participation.”
Breakdown of costs, Fur to Forest program, access-to-information records
|
Salaries |
$2.3 million |
|
Analysis and Studies |
$1.4 million |
|
Indigenous Participation |
$800,000 |
|
Deer Eradication |
$4.1 million |
|
Miscellaneous* |
$3.3 million |
|
Total |
$11.9 million |
*Includes $53,000 for “forest restoration” services, “plants” and “seedlings.”
Parks Canada estimates there are between 300 and 900 invasive deer on the island. Phase two of the operation, which is scheduled to begin this fall, will involve ground hunting with dogs.
“Let’s just state the obvious: Parks Canada is bad at hunting and more money isn’t going to make it better,” Terrazzano said. “The good folks who live on Sidney Island are clearly more qualified to handle this and the government should get out of their way.”
MxM News
Quick Hit:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has initiated an investigation into the Biden administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Hegseth confirmed that investigators have already been selected to examine the disastrous exit, which left 13 U.S. service members dead and stranded Americans behind. He emphasized that accountability is forthcoming and vowed a thorough review to uncover the decision-making failures behind the debacle.
Key Details:
- Hegseth told Breitbart News that he has already chosen investigators for a full Pentagon-led review of the withdrawal.
- The Biden administration’s 2021 exit resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, abandoned American citizens, and a botched drone strike that killed an Afghan aid worker and his family.
- No officials were held accountable, while Marine Col. Stuart Scheller, who publicly called for accountability, was the only one punished—he now serves in the Trump administration.
Diving Deeper:
Hegseth, in an exclusive interview, stated that the investigation would be comprehensive, focusing on key decision-making failures that led to one of the most disastrous military withdrawals in U.S. history. While no specific timeline was provided, he stressed the importance of getting the facts right.
The 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, executed under then-President Joe Biden, resulted in a chaotic evacuation at Kabul International Airport. The suicide bombing at Abbey Gate claimed the lives of 13 American troops, while the administration abandoned hundreds of U.S. citizens despite claiming success. Additionally, the U.S. military, in a hasty attempt to prevent another attack, launched a drone strike that mistakenly killed an innocent Afghan aid worker and his family. At the time, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley defended the strike as “righteous.”
Despite these failures, no senior officials were removed from their posts. The only individual who faced consequences was Marine Col. Stuart Scheller, who was discharged after demanding accountability in a viral video. Now, he serves as a senior adviser to the Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness under the 47th President, Donald Trump.
Hegseth reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring accountability, emphasizing the need to establish a factual timeline of events, decisions, and their consequences. “I don’t think there’s anybody that feels like there’s been an honest accounting of what happened in Afghanistan. That’s our job,” he said.
The investigation, he added, will be critical to rebuilding trust within the Defense Department. “We’re going to drive that full investigation and get a sense of what happened. Accountability will be coming,” Hegseth concluded.
From LifeSiteNews
‘There is no reason why it should be a small cabal of government-approved mouthpieces.’
Canada’s Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to end the mainstream media’s stronghold over the Parliamentary Press Gallery, calling the current system “highly undemocratic” in which only a “small cabal of government-approved mouthpieces” are permitted membership.
“There is no reason why it should be a small cabal of government-approved mouthpieces,” Poilievre said in an interview with Juno News, calling the current system “highly undemocratic” and vowing to allow “independent media” in the “precinct.”
Poilievre remarked that the current situation in the press gallery has made it “particularly difficult for me because it means when I go and hold a press conference it’s just liberal media who are there to attend,” implying that the system itself contributes to political bias in news coverage.
Poilievre noted that he would “love to see a scenario where every different kind of journalist from all backgrounds, of all opinions, is given a chance to report on what happens on the Hill.”
As it stands now, to gain accreditation to the press gallery, a news outlet must be approved by an executive committee in secret. The reality is that 5 out of the 9 current executive committee members work for the state-funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Canadian Press.
When looking further, a whopping 39 out of 46 media companies with press gallery accreditation get federal money via grants or subsidies.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government pledged to increase the CBC’s funding to some $2 billion annually.
Poilievre many times before has said he will defund the CBC should his Conservative Party form government.
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