PUBLICATION:        The Record (Waterloo Region)

DATE:                         2003.10.04

SECTION:                  Sports

PAGE:                         E5

SOURCE:                   RECORD STAFF

BYLINE:                     BILL THOMPSON

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Mounties' decision a puzzler

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Did the RCMP try to give conservation in Canada the boot during the summer? Is the federal firearms registry boondoggle to blame for the Mounties' decision? You be the judge.  In August, the RCMP announced that it was going to stop sharing forensic laboratories with wildlife enforcement agencies across Canada.

The announcement was made in a letter dated Aug. 28 from assistant commissioner Joe Buckle of the RCMP Forensic Laboratory Services in Ottawa. The labs had been doing firearms ballistics work for provincial wildlife agencies for decades, matching bullets and shell casings with hunting rifles to be used in court as evidence in poaching cases.

"Unfortunately, due to the heavy pressure on our firearms services, we can only continue to provide analysis in those instances where there is associated criminal activity," Buckle said in his letter. "As an example, firearms analysis of exhibits associated with Wildlife Act and Regulation contravention can no longer be accepted."

And it looks like the Mounties are circling the wagons because of the public outcry. "I will not be making any comment," said Frederick Fromm, chief of enforcement with the RCMP forensic lab in Halifax. "I don't know of anybody else that I'm aware of (who) will be in the future."

Canadian Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz says he suspects the RCMP is under pressure because of extra work involved in administering the federal firearms registry, but the Mounties deny the allegation. At the same time, according to Statistics Canada, homicides involving firearms have been dropping steadily over the last decade, leaving no other obvious reason for the extra pressure on the laboratories. In the meantime, poachers are ecstatic and the RCMP is referring provincial agencies to the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory in Ashland, Ore., for forensic work on all non-criminal cases, including hunting out of season, exceeding bag limits and even shooting endangered species.

Don't look for any provincial agencies to look south of the border for help though. While I couldn't get any Ministry of Natural Resources staff to comment in Ontario, David Harvey, head of enforcement for the Saskatchewan Natural Resources Ministry, said that because of the prohibitive costs, no provincial agencies are expected to make use of the U.S. laboratories.

Luckily, the Mounties weren't the only ones to hear the outcry.

Federal Solicitor General Wayne Easter has decided to review the decision and said while the issue is "an operational matter" for the RCMP, he has asked for a review of the policy after hearing from "a number of people across the country."

"I don't know where we would be without Fishing Forever's help," said David Lackenbauer, a trustee of the Lackenbauer Fund. "Over the last three years, they've paid for the enrolment of over 100 local kids in our fishing camps."

For more information on the event and tickets, call 1-905-632-8679 or visit the Web site at www.fishingforever.ca

WATCH OUT FOR DEER

With fall settling in, hunters are scouting area fields and woodlots for signs of whitetail deer. They aren't the only ones that should be on the lookout, though.

Motorists should be especially cautious because fall is the time for love for deer. They're either in search for the love of their life or for their next meal, especially during the dawn and dusk hours.

They rarely travel alone, so if you see one, be prepared for others, especially where roads cross creeks or rivers, divide wooded corridors, bisect fence rows, or where field edges run perpendicular to the road and, of course, anywhere that deer crossing signs are posted.

If you do see a deer along a road, slow down and sound your horn in short bursts. If you see them on the road at night, blink your headlights. This will warn the deer and give them an opportunity to move out of the way.

bthompson@therecord.com