BILL BENNETT'S RESIGNATION WELCOMED BY BC CONSERVATIVES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2007

Cranbrook: BC Conservative Leader Wilf Hanni,welcomed the resignation of East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett as Minister of State for Mining.

MLA Bill Bennett was supporting a proposal to take wildlife allocations away from resident hunters and give them to non-resident hunters who rely on Guide/Outfitters to allow them to hunt in British Columbia .

At least one member of the committee that came up with the proposal, which has been endorsed by Bill Bennett, is a guest of a local Guide/Outfitter, whenever she visits the Kootenays. In addition, Bill Bennett was once a part owner of a Guide/Outfitter company.

The current Wildlife Allocation Proposal would see as much as 50% of all hunting in British Columbia.

Reserved for Guide/Outfitters and their non-resident customers at the expense of resident hunters, who live and work in British Columbia and contribute far more to the economy of this province than any non-resident hunter.

Hanni charged that the Liberal Government is intent on selling off the back country to non-residents and do not care one bit about the interests of the resident hunters who don’t have to hire Guide/Outfitters in order to hunt in their own backyard. “This is a terrible display of arrogance,” stated Hanni, “and although Bill Bennett resigned because of his lack of judgment in referring to a constituent as 'an American spy', and using foul language in a written communication, he should have been forced to resign over his support of the current wildlife allocation proposal. The resident hunters are being shafted in an attempt to provide more money to Guide/Outfitters and to the Government of British Columbia.”

Hanni stated that he fully supports the resident hunters’ efforts to get a moratorium on the wildlife allocation proposal. “Some things are more important than money,” stated Hanni, “like preserving a way of life.”

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