Bluewater bans hunting on municipal properties
- 34 minutes ago
- 2 min read
By Dan Rolph
Hunters on municipally owned properties in Bluewater could face fines after the adoption of a new bylaw in the municipality.
The bylaw, which was passed by council during the March 2 council meeting, prohibits all hunting on municipal properties, including hunting with firearms, bows and traps.
The idea of a hunting ban was first brought before council in January, when municipal staff told councillors of several instances of hunting on municipal lands in 2025 while staff were present, leading to concerns about the safety of employees.
If Bluewater continued to allow hunting on its properties, it could have led to liability issues if an employee were injured in an incident — particularly as many of Bluewater’s properties of concern don’t use controlled entry measures.
The new bylaw prohibits hunting on municipally owned properties including parks and recreational lands, water operations properties, woodlots and naturalized areas, unopened road allowances, gravel pits and aggregate properties, landfills, sewage treatment plants and any other lands owned by Bluewater.
Though the bylaw was approved during the meeting, Mayor Paul Klopp said he expected members of council would hear from constituents about the new ban and noted that there wouldn’t be proactive measures in place to penalize hunters.
“They’re not going to be out there … seeing someone going across a side road when they’re hunting,” he said. “When someone does something really not right, at least we have the power to take action.”
However, Coun. Bill Whetstone cautioned against painting the bylaw’s enforcement in such a way.
“I don’t think we should be saying they’re not going to be there,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s like any bylaw. If somebody complains, we enforce. It’s as simple as that.”
Though the new bylaw doesn’t specify a fine, Ontario’s Provincial Offences Act allows for fines up to $5,000.
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