I just came from the meeting.
Turn out was disappointing on a few levels -
- There were only 3 or 4 people, including myself, there representing the hunting/fishing community.
- The only media coverage I saw was a CBC camera, hopefully a couple more of the observers were also media.
- Only the Liberal (Herb Coburn) and NDP (John Chan) candidates were present, despite an invitation being sent to all 5 parties.
That said, I think the press conference was very well run. The message regarding Open Spaces was presented loud and clear, and hopefully it will be heard. Both the Liberals and the NDP, as well as the AWA itself, spoke out in opposition to Open Spaces, and ANY program that would involve the privatization of wildlife. Unfortunately, with no one there to defend the program, there was no chance for debate.
Kudos to those that organized the conference for doing it the first place, and for doing such a good job of it.
Waxy
P.S. I'm don't support many of the initiatives of the AWA, but they are a strong voice in opposition to the Open Spaces pilot.
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