By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large
A fear expressed by many residents living around Niagara, Ontario’s Short Hills Provincial Park that a deer hunt the province has allowed in the park would spill onto their properties has already been realized during the third and fourth days of the hunt.
Robin Zavitz and her daughter Tayler comfort dying deer that MNR officer finally puts out of its misery. Photo by Dan Wilson
According to a number of eyewitnesses, a deer that was wounded in the stomach area by an arrow fired by a native hunter ran onto the Short Hills area property of Craig and Robin Zavitz this November 23th and the hunter, contrary to rules set down by the province, pursued the deer onto the property.
The hunter retreated back into the park when he was spotted and told to leave by a member of the Zavitz family and the wounded deer, after staggering back to a spot within the park and collapsing, was finally put out of its misery with a gunshot to the head. The gunshot was administered by an officer of an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources that had assured area residents months ago that the deer hunt – scheduled for November 21st through 24th and from November 28th through December 1 would take place well back from more than 100 homes and farms ringing the park in the Niagara municipalities of Thorold, Pelham and St. Catharines.
“This is an absolute nightmare,” Robin Zavitz told Niagara At Large just two hours after her family had to chase at least two more hunters off her Pelham property along the southern edge of the park, less than 24 hours after the deer killing incident, this November 24th. .
“The peace and tranquility of our property is gone during this hunt,” she said. “I wore a surveyors (reflective orange-coloured) vest when I went out this morning on my own property and that is crazy.”
The province’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) allowed the first limited hunt, restricted to native hunters using bow and arrow, last January, claiming that this one and only provincial park of its kind in Niagara, founded decades ago as a preserve for wildlife with access through a series of trails for people who want to get close to some nature that is slowly but surely vanishing in the rest of the region, is over-populated with deer. For the MNR, that turned out to mean that some “culling” or “harvesting” – note that they never call it killing – of the deer population is in order to “manage” or “restore balance” of natural resources in the park.
After dying deer was finished off with a shot through the head, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources officers drag it back to the Short Hills park for native hunters. Photo by Dan Wilson
Notice that we don’t hear much, if anything at all, from the MNR when it comes to urban sprawl plans in the rest of Niagara that upset balances of nature by destroying ever more habitat for wildlife. Then this agency has the audacity to puff up rhetoric about natural balance to justify hunting in what is supposed to be a wildlife sanctuary?
No wonder that the justifications the MNR throws out for a deer hunt in the Short Hills have so little currency with what appears to be growing numbers of people across this region and beyond, including national and international groups like the Animal Alliance of Canada and Born Free U.S.A.
The hunt continues to draw strong opposition from nearby property owners and from animal activist groups whose members are setting up pickets around the park during the days it is in progress this November.
At the request of property owners and animal activist groups, a majority of Pelham, St. Catharines, Thorold and Niagara regional councillors agreed to call on the provincial government not to hold the hunt due to safety concerns.
“Niagara Regional Council … requests the sanctioned deer hunt scheduled for November 2013 and any future hunts at Short Hills Provincial Park be stopped, as it poses a public safety risk,” reads the call from the regional council.
While that call to the province, along with those from the three local municipalities to the province have so far gone unheeded, MNR officials promised residents around the Short Hills park that hunters would be told to stay back at least as far as 150 metres from their properties, and the line the hunters are not supposed to cross has been marked with strategically placed coloured ribbons.
The promise of a buffer zone has done little to nothing to assure the Zavitz family and other property owners that that safety risks will be addressed, and at the time NAL talked to Robin Zavitz about the encroachment of more hunters this November 24th on her property, she had yet to receive a response back to calls of complaint made earlier in the morning to the MNR and Ontario Provincial Police.
NAL will have more on the Short Hills deer hunt in the days ahead.
(Niagara At Large invites you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)
Niagara At Large 
I had the privledge of presenting our public safety concerns to both St Catharines City Council and Niagara Regional Council with Robin Zavitz. The text of our presentations are posted on the Niagara Region Website under “Council Minutes, Agendas, Reports” for Oct 31/13. The following is taken directly from that website. Robin says,
“Picture this scenario, wounded running deer, hunter hot on its heels….. the deer
doesn’t know the boundary, does the hunter know the boundary? Will
the hunter even look for the boundary? You could now have an active
hunt occurring within someone’s backyard ….” Is she psychic? A prophet? No. Did she gather the facts, utilize deductive reasoning and common sense when she made this prediction? Absolutely. She continues in her presentation “… as their children stand and observe in horror or worse yet have the child injured or killed in their own yard?” I am asking readers, is that what it will take to get this hunt stopped? This is a public safety issue. As I have said publicly many times, this is not an issue of who is hunting but where. Take a good long look at this doe and call any and every politician you can think of as we have done and voice your concerns.
LikeLike
My apologies; I forgot to make this point. Robin happened to be home during these 2 instances of trespassing. Image how many times it actually occurred considering she and her family were demonstrating against the hunt at the Pelham Rd entrance to the Park. Now estimate how many times it has likely happened at the nearly 100 residences surrounding the Park.
LikeLike
So now we have the MNR killing deer for the Haudenosaunee, and working as a courier service for the hunters, retrieving the animal and dragging the body back into the hunt zone to give to the hunters. Your tax dollars at work. Not very traditional if you ask me. And certainly not very safe for the public. The hunters can not or will not abide by the hunt rules. Based on these events, the hunt should be shut down. Our politicians need to grow a spine and stop this nonsense.
LikeLike
Great article Doug.
LikeLike
The hunt is not only unsafe, it is illegal according to the vast amount of historical evidence that shows that no “treaty” allowing hunting rights was ever validated; the Haudenosaunee have been widely disseminating their fraudulent interpretation of historical facts to lay claim to lands never granted to them by the Crown; the deed of land to the English King made by the Five Nations in Albany in 1701 was never intended, recognized or confirmed by the Crown as a valid treaty…it wasn’t then and isn’t today!
LikeLike
Thank you again Doug for keeping on top of this. One of your recent editorials spoke to the poor record keeping and inaccuracies with regard to the mnr giving input on animal population counts. Contrary to a want-to-be-politician’s comments this is not a cull. This is an ethnic group given permission to murder because the idiot government power twits are too afraid to say no for fear of being labelled racists. I received the pictures and info fairly quickly when this happened yesterday. The deer population is not oversize. The hunters recognize no boundaries. Some have stated that all land is rightfully theirs to hunt on. The native people protesting this hunt, the ones who are ashamed of this activity are also being called racists by the hunters. This hunt is truly seen as a crime akin to shooting critters at a petting zoo. Our local governing powers need to vigorously demand the province to immediately cancel the second weekend of this hunt and any further hunts in provincial parks. We need to be extremely thoughtful about where our votes go in any upcoming elections. We need to question candidates about their courage, their convictions and their ability to stand their ground. If the hunters have a conscience, they themselves will apologize and cancel their hunt. Safety is an issue that we now know for sure cannot be guaranteed. The mnr did not hold the hunters financially culpable for the enormously expensive damage done to the park last year. The pictures are on file as is the mnr statement of the costs to restore the landscaping and othe repairs. I recent even one penny of my taxes being used for damage done during a government sanctioned activity that is such an obviously heinous assault on nature.
LikeLike
There is extensive evidence that the Five(later Six) nations Iroquois actually ceded the land in southern Ontario to the Ojibwa in 1700 and the Five Nations Iroquois were excluded from hunting on that land; and yet, only a year later in 1701 the very same land (actually beaver hunting grounds) was surrendered by the Five Nations to the British Crown in exchange for hunting on that land “forever”(1701 Albany Treaty); in other words they surrendered land that, in effect, didn’t belong to them or no longer had a right to; this “fraud” continues to this day in Short Hills and over and over again as today’s Six Nations have used the 1701 Albany Deed in court successfully to defend hunting outside of reserves; unfortunately Crown lawyers did not challenge the validity of that “treaty” because they really didn’t bother to do their homework;in any case the historical record is clear in showing that the 1701 Albany “Treaty” should NOT apply on land in southwestern Ontario and should be challenged in court.
LikeLike
Historian Garry Horsnell provides valuable information and has commented widely on the issue in the Brantford Expositor; he points out that the Six Nations Haudeosaunee (the same ones in Short Hills) were actually trying to arrange a hunt in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton; the same Six Nations activists have used the 1701 Albany(Nanfan) Treaty to stop and stall development and demand money from developers in various areas:e.g. the Redhill Parkway, the Ancaster fairgrounds, the Kingspan site Brantford,etc. not to mention protests against the construction of wind turbines but only until they were paid off by the companies in question and the Ontario government; of course ALL of these extra costs will be borne by us, the taxpayer, as we already are paying for policing cost in Short Hills which will be part of millions of dollars in costs province-wide; and all of this because of a so-called “Treaty” which ls totally lacking in historical legitimacy, not to mention because of the cowardice and moral bankruptcy of our politicians for their collective failure to take a stand and do what is right.
LikeLike
At the risk of increasing animosity and rancor, I am going to weigh in a little here.
It is long past time for Canada’s First Nations (ie: aboriginal) people to become contributing members of our society rather than being beggars with their hands out.
Our federal government MUST do something about the pathetic lack of controls on the operation of many reserves. Nepotism runs rampant on many reserves. Only the families of the band chief and councillors receive any benefit from the millions of dollars of our tax money that is dished out annually.
I know there are many FN peoples who are contributing members of Canadian society, but there are far too many who are not.
A welfare culture has been encouraged on many reserves – to the long-term detriment of residents of those reserves.
I do NOT want to see us return to the residential school system (which was a criminal disaster perpetuated by our government and the churches involved). But we must find a way QUICKLY to end the welfare mentality.
One thing that should happen is that existing reserves should be divided equally among band members who would be given ownership of the land on which they live, including the house/home they occupy. The present system whereby residents on reserves do not own their home is another factor in the squalor that pervades on many reserves.
And before anyone can accuse me of being racist, I grew up in BC and when I was a teenager, the group of people I spent most of my time with included three natives, two Chinese and three whites.
The idea of holding a deer “cull” in Shorthills Park may have some merit. But to restrict participation to Six Nations band members only is wrong.
And now the Royal Botanical Gardens is about to allow a similar hunt around Cootes Paradise – a kilometre from my home!
Insanity … absolute insanity!
LikeLike
The historical knowledge printed so far is impressive and certainly educational for me. I admit that my knowledge with regard to treaty issues is somewhat lacking. I do have a question for those who may be able to offer some clarity: Canada is no longer part of the British empire { right? or wrong?} and as such, why would Canada have to abide by a treaty made more than the hundred years ago allegedly by British royalty?
Again, I apologize for my lack of understanding here but I do believe that precedents have be established globally where other countries have become independent when seceding from prior affiliations and as such have exorcised rights to retain or abolish agreements made before their becoming an independent nation. My question is actually mute as I have just received more info from some renowned historians that fraud has indeed, knowingly been practiced for hundreds of years as Mr. Porcaro so generously shared with us. Does this mean that the hunters duped us or that they are ignorant of the facts here? Does this mean that our government twits duped us or are they also ignorant of the facts here? Either way, prevarication, stupidity and ignorance are all words I believe most decent folks don’t want to have appear on their resumes or obituaries. Too bad, it’s too late now!!!
LikeLike
Do you always post unconfirmed stories here?
LikeLike
Injured deer run! Many don’t believe the hunter was in her yard considering she says her dogs scared the deer away, so why would a hunter go on her property? Anything to make the hunt seem bad
LikeLike
Anyone else find it strange that it has only ever been in Zavitz backyard?? I do not believe it for a minute
LikeLike
Cowardice….. morally bankrupt…… no way…. not our politicians.
This hunt is a joke and the response from the provincial government to the concerns of the REAL government, THE PEOPLE, THE TAXPAYERS!, who live in that area, would be equally laughable if it were not so pathetic.
There’s plenty of crown land up north away from people to hunt. This exercise of hunting in an area so close to residential properties is indicative of how stupid our government is.
Maybe we should corral all those hunters up and use them for target practice. I am not talking about shoot to kill, but rather wound them in a way that the pain and suffering they inflict on these defenseless animals is something they experience first hand.
Additionally, one thing is for sure….. if a politician or high ranking public employee lived adjacent to the Short Hills a different result would have been yielded and this hunt would have been called off.
Just sayin…..
LikeLike
@ Tammy: The incident was published in the local newspaper and there were plenty of photographs taken (mine) and MNR testimony to corroborate the story. A note of clarification: although the hunter entered the Zavitz property while chasing the wounded deer – the hunter admitted to doing so at the time – the animal died in the back of the Zavitz’s neighbour’s property, 45 or 50 feet from the Zavitz property line. Furthermore, a hunter’s arrow was found on the Zavitz property (by me) fired from the buffer zone and outside the hunt zone. This was confirmed by MNR and NRP on the scene. Ever think that maybe the Zavitz family is being targeted by the hunters? Regardless, whether you believe it or not doesn’t change the facts.
LikeLike