Do you hunt in Ontario?, Your personal info goes to US Goverment!

What the heck is the Ontario government thinking?


OK folks, we as Ontario hunters have a SERIOUS fight on our hands. When one calls the MNR licencing and reporting line, in order to (for example) report a turkey harvest (which you legally MUST do), one is informed that your personal data may be stored in a foreign country, and MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THAT FOREIGN COUNTRY.

This is unbelieveable, even for the corrupt Liberal government of this province. In order to comply with MNR reporting requirements, you have to allow your personal information to be subject to some foreign country's jurisdiction. This is absolutely, completely UNACCEPTABLE. Even if the scumballs who run this province have a hate on for law-abiding hunters and firearms enthusiasts, it is impossible to believe that they would nevertheless allow an ONTARIO citizen to be subject to a FOREIGN GOVERNMENT jurisdiction.

Please try it yourself, phone 1-800-288-1155 and follow the prompts.

Please raise hell with your MPP, and please make sure that all of your friends, family, and acquaintances who are Ontario hunters are aware of this. If you belong to a hunting club, and/or OFAH, make your voice heard. We need to get this crap STOPPED, and IMMEDIATELY.

Your thoughts?? Feel free to post on other forums or to send e-mail to friends.

I wondered that this morning when I called in my bird! WTF!

Cdn Hunter

doesn't even make sense that they would even consider sending personal info to another country for harvesting an animal in ontario.somethings fishy there. they have to many of their on problems in the other country to even consider taking on another countries harvest record it is just plain ignorant.

I sent an email to Minister for Ministry of Natural resource and copied my local MPP in the email and expressed my discontent over the matter.

See if I get a response..

Cdn Hunter

this is retarted

did you guys know that the new licensing system the brilliant MNR purchases and signed a lease to run if from tenesse

hey folks hate to tell you this BUT, we taxpayers have been telling the government to lower taxes and do stuff cheapper, SOOO the MNR put the licencing out to tender, the US company came in with the highest bit ,and according to the free trade deal they could not be denied, so for the cheaper cost and savings on taxes we have to subscribe to other jurisdiction storing our info, which means that the rules around information storage for that jurisdiction must be followed.
Stay tuned to the changes this new Ontario budget has in store for MNR- big changes coming to all of the Public Service.
But I agree write your MPP and tell him/her your mad as hell!!

Just a comment.......I oversee many tendering processes as a contract administator for the municipal and provincial construction projects I work on........That being said I think you meant to say that the US company was the lowest bid....therefore offering taxpayers savings.......regardless of the FTA, there is always a clause in EVERY tender put forth in Ontario that stipulates the (Insert corporation/Owner/Agent) reserves the right to select the desired candidate and that the low bid may not be the successful tenderer.

I thought it was Texas but whatever doesn't really matter....complete and utter BS

possibly, the lady at the local MNR office told me tennessee

Here is reply I got from Minister's assistant.

Dear Mr. Larocque:

Thank you for your email of April 26, 2012 regarding the Notice of Collection and storage of personal information outside of Canada. I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Hon. Michael Gravelle, Minister of Natural Resources.

The service provider for the new Automated Licensing System is a US based company called Active Outdoors. The decision to select Active Outdoors as the developer and vendor for the new licensing system was based on a fair and competitive procurement process. We are required by trade regulations to offer U.S, Canadian as well as Ontario companies the opportunity to bid on Ontario government contracts. No qualified Canadian company completed the bidding process.

Active Outdoors, located in Nashville, Tennessee, needs to maintain and access the data base to provide compliance officers with information and for client interface such as renewals and draws.

The Ministry undertook a privacy impact assessment for the project as part of the preparation of the contractual agreement. Ministry staff ensured that the contractual arrangements afforded the appropriate measures for the protection of personal information and security of confidential information. In addition, there are measures in the contract that allow for ongoing confirmation that the supplier is meeting its obligations to protect the security of personal information. I assure you that Ontario takes the protection of personal information of persons who access government services very seriously, regardless of where data is stored or hosted.

If you have any further questions or comments, please contact Harry Taylor, Manager, Licence Improvement Project, at 705-755-1802 or harry.taylor@ontario.ca.

Sincerely,

Bruce Bateman
Project Director
Licensing Automated System
Ministry of Natural Resources

When I was in Uni. I took a course that was based around NAFT and I came out realizing how one sided the agreement is... The US has total control and can supersede any other countrys laws and decisions... Canada and Mexico got screwed and continue to do so..... Good Job Mulroney.. He did us one hell of a servicing.....

.....Also it must be one hell of deal to take away jobs(and spin off jobs) and move them to another country.. There are other factors at play then just a tender price.. its like picking up a penny and dropping a dollar. People in Ont. might have lost jobs which could be on unemployment ins. now, etc. I wonder if they did an impact assessment on that.


Thanks CND Hunter I am going to e-mail also..

word straight from the horses mouth then

Did my ranting via. e-mail to my MPP.

Here is the reply I got today after I told them that they didn't answer my question and their answer did nothing but circle around the question I had.

Dear Mr Larocque
 
Thank you for your follow up e-mail.
 
In its contract with MNR, Active Outdoors has agreed that all personal information it collects will be subject to the requirements of Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.  Further Active Outdoors cannot directly or indirectly use, collect or disclose any personal information for any purposes not authorized by the Ministry.  It must restrict access to such personal information to those who have a need to know for providing services to MNR.  Further, it will keep these records secure and prevent it from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. 
 
In October 2001, the US passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which expanded the powers of US federal law enforcement agencies involved in foreign intelligence and international terrorism. A company that operates in the US would be subject to the Act. It is possible therefore that personal information of a Canadian that is in the possession of a company operating in the US may be required to be provided to the U.S. authorities under the Act.  This would be the case regardless of whether such information is held in the US or in Canada.
 
I hope this clarifies the statement for you.
 
Bruce Bateman
Project Director
Licensing Automation System
Ministry of Natural Resources
705-755-1903
 

"We are required by trade regulations to offer U.S, Canadian as well as Ontario companies the opportunity to bid on Ontario government contracts. No qualified Canadian company completed the bidding process."

I wonder how this aligned to the deal Dalton McGiunty made with the Samsung businessmen for solar power? If I recall correctly no other company was afford the opprtunity to bid.

Probaly another case of make up the rules as you go! The whole world is corrupt know adays!!!!!!

The world was always full of corruption methinks. Just that we are more informed these days. Our Ontario and Federal governments are sure making it seem like corruption is rampant and out of control that is for sure.

I questioned that statement and I am still waiting for a reply........ I am not sure what will be said. I also asked what they do as the Ontario Gov. to protect our jobs and contracts. Because with the above rational we could possibly loose all tenders to out of province and out of country companies. I am amazed how Quebec/ Newfounland has the balls to fight for its residents and Ontario just gives up and plays dead. Ontario is hurting and once was a big player but we our falling off the map. We need to protect what we have and keep our money and jobs within the province or we're screwed.
Maybe we should layoff every politician and hire them back on contract... if they can get awarded the contract through a fair and competitive process.... We might be able to save some money..Its always easiers to cut someone else's job, then your own

Let's look at this another way just for the hell of it. We are all licensed to own firearms through the FAC/PAL/POL systems and everytime you cross the border into the USA this shows up on the screen the Custom's agent is looking at. If the US government can see that you in fact routinely purchase hunting licenses then that shows you are not only a person who has been through a back ground check and cleared to own firearms but also a sportsman. People like us are actually welcomed into the USA as we don't fit the dangerous person profile. My experience when entering the USA with firearms has been far more positive than when returning to my country.
If you ever have purchased travel health insurance then the forms you have signed have passed on far more intrusive personal information over to foreighn owned companies. Big brother knows exactly where you are and what you do.

When did we become an American citizen? I believe our sovereignty is being abused. Also add he has tailored the Green Energy Act in a way that has profited dozens of U.S. and foreign companies while doing virtually nothing for Canadian firms. He now has given the Americans our data on hunting and fishing licences ,which i am sure that he is potentially ,exposing this information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I have to question where the much larger Ontario tax database is being stored... wow, i still don't know what people see in the Mcginty gov't.

A reply from my MPP today....

"Dear Ron,
Thank you for your email of April 26, regarding the automated licensing system provided by an American company being used by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

I, too, would be outraged by the message heard on the MNR phone line when reporting the turkey I had harvested during a hunt. How can the ministry ensure Ontario anglers and hunters that their personal and confidential information will not be accessed by the governments of the United States or Tennessee or even a third party under the Patriot Act?

P.C Critic for the MNR, Laurie Scott, has questioned the Minister of Natural Resources about his claim that personal information of Ontario citizens is secure. As there is potential for a serious and major breach of privacy protection for Ontario citizens, she also intends to raise the issue with Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner.

I appreciate hearing your concerns about this matter. Our party will continue to pressure the McGuinty government to protect Ontarians.
Sincerely,

Ernie Hardeman
MPP Oxford

Dear Mr. Lamothe:



Thank you for your email of May 7, 2012 regarding the new automated licensing system. I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Hon. Michael Gravelle, Minister of Natural Resources.



The service provider for the new system is Active Outdoors, a US based company. The decision to select Active Outdoors as the developer and vendor for the new licensing system was based on a fair and competitive procurement process. As you mentioned, we are required by trade regulations to offer U.S, Canadian as well as Ontario companies the opportunity to bid on Ontario government contracts. No Canadian company completed the bidding process.



The Ministry undertook a privacy impact assessment for the project as part of the preparation of the agreement. Ministry staff ensured that the contract afforded the appropriate measures for the protection of personal information and security of confidential information. In addition, there are measures in the contract that allow for ongoing confirmation that the supplier is meeting its obligations to protect the security of personal information. I assure you that Ontario takes the protection of personal information of people who access government services very seriously, regardless of where data is stored or hosted.



In regard to your concerns about Ontario jobs lost due to an American vendor, support services for the public remain in Ontario. The Outdoors Card Centre is the support line for information on Ontario hunting and fishing regulations. This information centre is located in Ontario and employed by Ontario Public Service employees. Also, the plastic Outdoors Cards are manufactured and distributed from Ontario.



Thank you again for writing and sharing your concerns and complimentary comments. If you have any further questions or comments, please contact Harry Taylor, Manager, Licence Improvement Project, at 705-755-1802 or harry.taylor@ontario.ca.



Sincerely,



Bruce Bateman

Project Director

Licensing Automated System

Ministry of Natural Resources

........They never answered a major part of my question regarding keeping Ontario Jobs in Ontario..... Nothing like the old circle conversation