When Bill Bennett entered politics, he portrayed himself as “the voice of the hunter” in the B.C. Legislature.
But after 14 years, Mr. Bennett – now the province’s powerful Mines Minister – finds himself in conflict with hunters, and facing scrutiny over his ties to Height of the Rockies Adventure Co. Ltd., a guide outfitting operation that owes him $70,000 for a shareholder loan.
A long-simmering feud between British Columbia’s 97,000 resident hunters and 245 professional guide outfitters who cater to wealthy foreign clients exploded in December, when the government introduced changes that reallocated the share of wildlife, giving an increased share to guides.
Some of the changes could potentially raise the market value of guide-outfitting operations – among other things, by increasing wildlife allocations (letting guides sell more hunting trips) and by allowing corporations, not just individuals, to buy guiding territories.
Regulations were also changed to eliminate penalties if guides exceed their yearly game quotas and to allow guide outfitters to extend the length of their tenures.
One of Mr. Bennett’s cabinet colleagues, Forests Minister Steve Thomson, acknowledged in an interview that Mr. Bennett injected himself into the debate, saying “he has a strong interest in the file.”
And in a leaked e-mail released by the NDP, Mr. Bennett himself wrote that he has “been intimately involved in the allocation file.”
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B.C. Mines Minister faces scrutiny over ties to guide-outfitting operation - The Globe and Mail
But after 14 years, Mr. Bennett – now the province’s powerful Mines Minister – finds himself in conflict with hunters, and facing scrutiny over his ties to Height of the Rockies Adventure Co. Ltd., a guide outfitting operation that owes him $70,000 for a shareholder loan.
A long-simmering feud between British Columbia’s 97,000 resident hunters and 245 professional guide outfitters who cater to wealthy foreign clients exploded in December, when the government introduced changes that reallocated the share of wildlife, giving an increased share to guides.
Some of the changes could potentially raise the market value of guide-outfitting operations – among other things, by increasing wildlife allocations (letting guides sell more hunting trips) and by allowing corporations, not just individuals, to buy guiding territories.
Regulations were also changed to eliminate penalties if guides exceed their yearly game quotas and to allow guide outfitters to extend the length of their tenures.
One of Mr. Bennett’s cabinet colleagues, Forests Minister Steve Thomson, acknowledged in an interview that Mr. Bennett injected himself into the debate, saying “he has a strong interest in the file.”
And in a leaked e-mail released by the NDP, Mr. Bennett himself wrote that he has “been intimately involved in the allocation file.”
more
B.C. Mines Minister faces scrutiny over ties to guide-outfitting operation - The Globe and Mail