Company owned by Manitoba PC leadership candidate asks court to restore polar-bear viewing permits

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 5:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Wally Daudrich, who is running to pb Manitoba's Official Opposition, has asked a tribunal to overturn a provincial decision to deprive his ecotourism concern of permits to run tundra vehicles successful a wildlife absorption country eastbound of Churchill during the upcoming polar carnivore viewing season.

In February, provincial wildlife subdivision manager Maria Arlt informed Daudrich his company, Lazy Bear Expeditions, is nary longer permitted to run 2 tundra vehicles connected the coastal plains of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, wherever polar bears stitchery successful ample numbers each autumn earlier the crystal freezes up connected Hudson Bay.

Arlt said Lazy Bear's licence was rescinded for the 2025 play due to the fact that of the continuing diminution successful the fig of polar bears connected the occidental broadside of Hudson Bay, based connected a 2021 aerial survey.

Arlt said the state is reducing the fig of vehicles allowed to traverse the tundra successful the absorption country from 20 to 18. That was the fig of vehicles permitted to transportation tourists to spot polar bears anterior to 2020, erstwhile the provincial authorities granted 2 much conveyance allocations to Lazy Bear.

In an exertion filed connected March 26, Daudrich asked the Manitoba Court of King's Bench to reappraisal the wildlife branch's decision, state it invalid and reconstruct his permits for 2 vehicles. Daudrich besides asked the tribunal to state the determination was unreasonable and made successful atrocious faith.

In an affidavit dated April 2, Daudrich said the nonaccomplishment of 2 permits "will severely impact" Lazy Bear's concern and its quality to vie with 2 different tundra-vehicle operators, Great White Bear Tours and Frontiers North Adventures.

Daudrich said successful the affidavit provincial conservation officers "take a stricter and much confrontational attack to Lazy Bear" than they instrumentality with his competitors.

In the affidavit, he accused the state of allowing the different circuit companies to thrust attraction vehicles with nary permits successful the wildlife absorption area, allowing them to permission their lodges successful the country each twelvemonth and allowing them "to usage dense equipment, including beforehand loaders, to herd polar bears."

Daudrich said successful his affidavit the wildlife branch did not provide any beforehand announcement it was considering a simplification successful the fig of conveyance permits successful the absorption area. He besides stated determination is nary grounds polar carnivore numbers are successful diminution connected the westbound broadside of Hudson Bay, and said adjacent if they are, the diminution could not beryllium attributed to tundra conveyance operations.

His affidavit said helium received permits successful 2022, 2023 and 2024, aft the decision of a 2021 aerial survey cited by the wildlife subdivision arsenic grounds for the diminution of the occidental Hudson Bay polar carnivore population.

Daudrich's affidavit besides noted helium is currently running to pb the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party, and said "it is good known that I americium nary friend" of the governing New Democratic Party.

The affidavit said Lazy Bear expects it volition beryllium forced to cancel bookings this summer, and said Daudrich believed 1 of his competitors informed a tour-booking institution astir the nonaccomplishment of Lazy Bear's permits.

"If this was successful information the case, it would not beryllium the archetypal clip that my competitors approached Lazy Bear's customers successful an effort to dissuade them from booking with Lazy Bear," Daudrich said successful his affidavit. 

Great White Bear Tours president Kyle Walkowski and Frontiers North president John Gunter declined to comment.

Spokespeople for Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie and wildlife subdivision manager Arlt said they could not remark connected a matter earlier the courts.

An archetypal proceeding is slated for April 10, according to tribunal documents.