West Lincoln added to Ontario municipalities permitting Sunday gun hunting

​West Lincoln has become the latest Ontario municipality to permit Sunday gun hunting, joining 187 others in the province. Coun. Shelley Bradaric explained that the world has evolved and now operates seven days a week, making the exclusion of activities on Sundays outdated. On April 17, the council voted in favor of allowing Sunday hunting in accordance with the township’s firearm discharge regulations.

Couns. Mike Rehner, Joann Chechalk, and Terry Bell opposed the motion. The staff report clarified that all existing regulations and rules for hunting would still apply, with the only change being that hunters can now use firearms on Sundays, in addition to longbows or crossbows.

Coun. William Reilly expressed that the decision was “long overdue” and that the community is modernizing in various aspects, including becoming more consistent with neighboring communities. Although hunters can now hunt on Sundays, West Lincoln must still inform the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry so the municipality can be added to the list and map of southern Ontario municipalities that allow Sunday hunting.

The issue of Sunday gun hunting was previously debated in 2009 but was not passed. Since then, several other municipalities in the province, including multiple ones in the Niagara region, have allowed Sunday gun hunting.