Today at the Willow Valley Trophy Club annual show, one of the announcers sent out an urgent plea: get in touch with your MLA and the Minister for Sustainable Resource Development, Mike Cardinal I believe his name is, and let them know your opinion on the proposed grizzly hunt ban. He was right. The antis seem always prepared to blabbermouth about their opinions, why don't we do the same. Before reading another thread, why not send a quick e-mail to your MLA, look at http://www.assembly.ab.ca/lao/mla/mla_help.htm
if you don't know who your MLA is, you can look via the name of the town, or hamlet, or whatever it is you are living in.

I just did. I can't vote, being a landed immigrant, but she doesn't know that! Make yourself heard! Even if you are unsure about the grizz hunt, or you don't ever want to hunt grizz, still help us fight. The antis won't stop at grizzly! Take it from someone who saw the number of huntable species reduced from 23 to 6 in The Netherlands!

Frans

Maybe you should become a citizen of this country before critisizing its policies and taking advantage of what it has to offer. As a non-citizen you have no right to contact "your" MLA or MP. You are sitting on the fence as it were and wanting all this great country has to offer without taking the step to become a member of it. By the way I became a Canadian citizen in 1991.

I just looked at your website, now I see where you are coming from, you are one of the number of Europeans that come to Canada to become "hunting guides" that cater to European hunters. You are using our resources to enrich your own pocketbook. What have you contributed to Canada other than arranging for our animals to be killed to your own gain? By the way I am in no way an anti-hunter.

hoehne-Do you really believe that because you have citizenship that you have more right to speak about our country and our laws than Frans.I was born in canada and have paid taxes much longer than you and I applaud frans for his efforts.Beside that how do you know frans has made no effort to become a canadian?How long did you live here before becoming a citizen?Frans just moved here very recently.Why did you come to canada?Was it not to benefit yourself?

Stubblejumper-Maybe you don't understand or misread my message. I came to Canada to be a part of it and became a citizen as fast as I could. My gripe is with people from Europe(in this case) and elsewhere that come here and take advantage of what Canada has to offer without committing to become part of the country, as I did, and then bitch about it. When I lived in BC I saw a lot of abuse of the hunting and fishing system by people who were not Canadian citizensor residents. They are aware of the lax judicial system we have and take full advantage of it. Your Pal Frans is legitimate as per his website, but I suggest you take a look at it and realize it is set up for a profit. This is my gripe.

Jeez, hoehne, I apologize for trying to help. Don't go blaming me if they rip the grizzly hunting out from underneath you. I've seen it happen in the NL (with other species), and I just want to contribute what I can to prevent the same from happening here. I haven't even applied for a grizz tag myself, so I have nothing to gain from it.

As far as my reasons for coming to Canada, or my contributions to Canada, looking at the tone of your post I feel no urge whatsoever to disclose them to you.

As for citizenship, you should know very well how long it takes before you are granted that right.

About my choosing to try and make a career in the hunting industry...just look at 400+ outfitters in Alberta, probably most of them citizens, selling "your" precious resources to Americans and Europeans. I don't understand what would be wrong with my trying to start a profitable business.

Or are you one of those immigrants that rather had closed the door behind him? "I got in, I got what I want, now keep the rest of them out, before they don't leave enough for me"? I *have* made things busier for you, you know, I live in the same town as you do.

Frans

hoehne-I do not personally know frans but I have seen his posts and he is trying to get involved and become a part of our society.As for becoming a canadian citizen you should know how long that takes and you should also be aware that frans has not been here long enough for that to happen.I would much rather see a person such as frans come to our country and support himself than the criminals and people that can't support themselves that our immigration people keep letting in.Our country was good enough to let you come here and now you want to deny others the same opportunity.What makes you think that you are better than frans or anyone else that wants to live in our country?

Frans Diepstraten

Welcome aboard! and thanks for the help, we can use all we can get.

Hoehne:

Kinde vicious rep. he" there must be more to it,I just hope that you as a real Canadian used some of that vinegar in your letters to the editor.MLA and your MP when you here protesting the gun control, hunting restrictions, etc.
Are you as a Canadian a member of the NFA or are you also a fence sitter?

As far as using our recourses look around you.

Example:

Edmonton Journal:" billion dollar project in the tarsands approved,big spin-off for Edmonton"
Reading this art.reveals: (1) a hand full of company's in Edmonton get sell some equipment they imported from the US for a handsome profit
(2) 400 people get to build the plant,temp. job's
(3) When done there will be 50 permanent Canadian job's.
(4) The US owner will pump the extracted oil directly into a pipeline to Montana.
So in the end the spin-off is 50 jobs and some revenue to the Gov.

Have a good one Martin

Frans I'm with Stubblejumper and Cal on this. Welcome to Canada ! You have probably learned that most Canadians are polite,easygoing and pretty much mind their own business. these are some of the traits that have in our present predicament with gun control and pressure on some hunting.Thank you for trying to warn Canadians of problems you've seen in Holland. Hopefully enough people wake up while we still have some rights.
Hoehne If you want to get on someones ass why don't you pick on a liberal?? anne McLellan would be a good place to start

Hello Frans,

Greetings and a belated welcome to Canada. It's always a pleasure to see someone take an interest in our
wildlife resources. We don't have grizzlies in my part of Canada, but it'll be nice to aggravate my MP anyway,
give him something to care about besides language issues. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal