Former Manitoba PC leadership candidate loses appeal of polar bear ecotourism permit cut

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 5:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A Churchill ecotourism concern has mislaid its entreaty to support its polar carnivore viewing conveyance permits this year.

In February, the provincial Wildlife Branch informed Wally Daudrich that it was rescinding licences for his company, Lazy Bear Expeditions, 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.

The Wildlife Branch told Daudrich — a erstwhile campaigner for person of Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party — that the continuing diminution successful the fig of polar bears connected the occidental broadside of Hudson Bay, based connected a 2021 aerial survey, was the crushed for the decision.

The subdivision said the state was 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 conveyance allocations to Lazy Bear.

Last March, 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.

A justice dismissed Daudrich's question for an injunction successful April. In a determination dated June 9, the 3 justices of the Manitoba Court of Appeal dismissed Daudrich's entreaty of the April decision.

"What Lazy Bear is really seeking is not an injunction prohibiting the curate from acting," the determination says. "Rather, it is an injunction requiring the curate to enactment — to contented a caller licence erstwhile an earlier licence expired — thing the curate is not obligated to do."

The Wildlife Branch inaccurately told Daudrich that it was "rescinding" Lazy Bear's conveyance licences, but its volition was to fto Daudrich cognize that his concern would not person a licence successful the 2025-26 season, the entreaty court's determination says.

Established precedent has proven there's nary automatic close to licence oregon licence renewals, the entreaty tribunal determination says.

The justice who heard Daudrich's injunction question besides said Daudrich did not beryllium that he'd suffered irreparable harm without the conveyance licences that couldn't beryllium recovered arsenic damages from the state if his suit were successful, according to the entreaty tribunal decision.

A provincial spokesperson said they could not remark connected a substance earlier the courts.