A Manitoba judge has ruled that Minister of Natural Resources Ian Bushie must review his decision to deny permits to a company that used to offer polar bear tours in large tundra vehicles near Churchill. The judge found that the province’s refusal to renew two tundra vehicle permits for Lazy Bear Expeditions for the upcoming polar bear viewing season was unjustified. The court questioned the province’s rationale for reducing the number of vehicles allowed on the tundra and expressed doubts about the claim that it was for polar bear conservation.
The decision highlighted that other ecotourism companies, Great White Bear and Frontiers North, already hold a total of 18 permits to operate similar vehicles in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. The court noted that the issue of vehicle numbers seems to be more of a concern on maintained roads rather than offroad areas where tundra vehicles typically operate.
Additionally, the judge pointed out that the stationary lodges operated by Frontiers North and Great White Bear might pose a greater habituation risk to polar bears than the moving vehicles used by Lazy Bear. The court suggested that the impact on the environment from the operations of Lazy Bear’s competitors could be more detrimental than the presence of two tundra vehicles.
The ruling indicated that the decision to revoke Lazy Bear’s permits appeared to be driven more by legal pressure from Great White Bear rather than genuine conservation concerns. The judge criticized the province for not revising its permitting process before limiting the number of operators in the area. Meanwhile, Lazy Bear’s owner, Wally Daudrich, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision and vowed to pursue further legal action against the province and wildlife officials over the permit denial.
The NDP government stated that it would carefully review the court’s ruling before deciding on next steps, while Great White Bear Tours President Kyle Walkoski refrained from commenting until he had reviewed the decision. Frontiers North President John Gunter did not respond to CBC News’ request for comment at the time of publication.