Under ruling in B.C., Canada, disabled hunters will be allowed to travel with "hunting companions"

From The Province in Canada:

Disabled hunters in B.C. will now be allowed to travel with “hunting companions” — after a ruling by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal found the Ministry of Environment had discriminated against a disabled man.

The decision is a victory for Cranbrook resident Larry Hall, 67, who’s campaigned for six years to have the government’s hunting-permit scheme amended to favour disabled people, such as himself.

“We are certainly satisfied with what we accomplished, considering when we started out, the government’s position was extremely narrow and limited,” Hall, a hunter of 55 years, told The Province Tuesday.

“It is a pretty important accomplishment for disabled people.”

Hall, the president of the Canadian Outdoor Disabled Alliance, suffers from Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that affects his nervous system and leaves him with chronic foot pain.

Hall is one of an estimated 100 disabled hunters in B.C.

Prior to the ruling, disabled hunters were only allowed to carry “non-hunting companions” in their vehicles, people who were not allowed to dispatch animals that had been wounded, but not killed, by the disabled hunter.

That meant animals shot by the disabled hunter, which hadn’t died and had run off, potentially suffered unnecessarily — which is in direct contravention of the Wildlife Act.

Hunting companions were only allowed to accompany the disabled hunters if they walked, biked or came in on horseback. They were not allowed to put their equipment in the disabled person’s vehicle.

Also at issue in the complaint was how many hunting companions would be allowed to travel with disabled hunters. The ministry had tried to limit the number to one, arguing more would make enforcement burdensome.

The ministry further argued that additional hunting companions would result in greater impact on the environment and wildlife. Hall argued more than one hunting companion was necessary for safety.

The tribunal agreed with Hall, noting the attendance of a second companion would be, in many cases, advantageous. The example of one companion going to retrieve a kill while the other stayed with the disabled hunter was used.

In the end, the ministry was ordered to cease the discriminatory conduct and allow two or more hunting companions to accompany disabled hunters — provided they are licensed and not hunting for their personal use.

In some cases, the disabled hunter may have to apply to a regional manager for permission if more than one hunting companion is needed, the tribunal ruled.

The tribunal also awarded Hall $5,500 in costs associated with mounting the complaint and for injury to his dignity, feelings and self-respect.