Government OKs $107K more for outfitters’ organization
SASKATOON
The Saskatchewan Party government has now committed more than $350,000 toward a new hunting and fishing outfitters’ organization, which critics contend is little more than an expensive new name and logo for an existing association.
Premier Brad Wall’s cabinet on Oct. 30 approved $107,000 in new funding for the Saskatchewan Commission of Professional Outfitters (SCPO), adding to the $248,000 provided to the organization during the last two fiscal years.
The money is expected to cover the cost of developing an outfitters’ code of conduct, a plan to deal with “rogue” outfitters, a trip deposit insurance program to ensure hunters and anglers aren’t stranded, and a web strategy, according to a copy of the government contract.
Elliott Maduck, owner of Swan Lake-based Truly Canadian Outdoors and a longtime critic of the SCPO, noted it has few members and said the government appears to be wasting its money on an organization most of the province’s 600 outfitters do not need or want.
Government officials have said previously that membership dues will make up the majority of the SCPO’s budget. According to its website, the organization has 150 members, meaning its revenues from memberships — which cost up to $393 — is around $58,000. Roy Anderson, the SCPO’s acting chief executive, declined to comment.
Ministry of Environment provincial wildlife manager Chuck Lees said the government expects more outfitters to join once they see the benefits. He said the $107,000 is targeted — rather than ongoing — funding aimed at building programs that will benefit the industry.
Asked whether the programs could result in additional fees for non-member outfitters — who are separately licensed by the province — Lees noted there are no plans to make membership compulsory.
Proposed in November 2015 as a replacement for the Saskatchewan Outfitters Association (SOA), the SCPO was expected to have mandatory membership. That changed in March 2017, leading some to question why it was needed at all.