Manitoba making $300K investment into illegal night hunting enforcement efforts

The Manitoba government is making a $300,000 investment to improve the province’s illegal night hunting enforcement efforts.

Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt announced the investment in a news release on Thursday, saying the money will go toward new equipment and services.

“Manitoba’s conservation officers work diligently to ensure public safety and protect Manitoba’s natural resources through various education and enforcement activities,” Nesbitt said.

“Our government is making investments to help protect Manitobans and these enhanced enforcement tools help support conservation officers to continue conducting critical work.”

One of the province’s night hunting enforcement tools is a dedicated helicopter service. Recently, the Manitoba government signed a three-year contract with Taiga Air Services Ltd. for this service, which will allow greater frequency of flights, better scheduling flexibility and increased specialized equipment.

“Combined with the dedicated efforts of our conservation officers, aircraft-assisted enforcement is highly successful at combatting illegal night hunting activities, which pose a significant safety risk to Manitobans,” Nesbitt said.

Unmarked patrol vehicles are another of Manitoba’s illegal night hunting enforcement tools.

According to the province, 11 new unmarked patrol vehicles are going to be deployed throughout Manitoba. These vehicles will help conservation officers with their operational tactics to ensure they’re able to continue offering protection and public safety activities.

The province notes that night hunting has increased in rural Manitoba over the last few years, which poses a safety risk to residents.

Anyone with information on illegal activity is asked to call a local natural resources and northern development office or the Turn in Poachers line at 1-800-782-0076.