Queries Arise Involving Resident and Non-Resident Status

| Outdoors Card | New residents Examinations | Non-Resident |

Many questions arise from instructors and examiners with regard to resident and non-resident status in Ontario under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

There are two ways that a person may qualify as an Ontario resident.

First are the group of people who reside permanently in the province. The Act says that these persons must reside in Ontario for six of the last twelve months and the primary residence must be in Ontario.

This group accounts for the bulk of Ontario residents and they are eligible, under certain conditions, to obtain an Ontario Outdoors Card.

The second group are deemed residents and are identified under the F.W.C.A., in Ontario Regulations 665/98. This regulation states that a person who falls under the following conditions qualifies as an Ontario resident.

1. A person with diplomatic credentials in an embassy, consulate or trade commission posted to Ontario is deemed a resident.
2. Armed forces of a foreign government stationed in Ontario are deemed to be residents.
3. RCMP or armed forces of Canada personal who are stationed in Ontario for a month. (Note: This does not mean that they have to wait a month prior to becoming a resident but the posting must have duration of at least a month.)
4. Immediate family members of 1, 2, or 3 who live with the person.

Outdoors Card

To be eligible to obtain an outdoors card a person must:

1. Be sixteen years of age or,
2. Be fifteen years of age and have parental consent.

In order to obtain an outdoors card a resident must submit:

1. An examiners' certificate issued by an Ontario Hunter Education Instructor.
2. An Outdoors Card previously held.
3. An Ontario resident licence issued since January 01, 1968.
4. An Apprenticeship Safety Card.
5. A certificate issued by the M.N.R. confirming c, d, e, or f.

A deemed resident may be issued an Outdoors card by submitting:

1. documentation to sufficiently establish that he or she falls within the category of deemed resident.
2. A hunting licence issued to the applicant by a competent authority in any jurisdiction.

New residents Examinations

An applicant for an examination will submit to the examiner:

1. A certificate issued by an Ontario Hunter Education Instructor indicating that he or she has completed a hunter education course.
2. A certificate indicating that the applicant has completed a hunter education course in any competent jurisdiction after January 01, 1968.
3. A hunting licence issued to the person by any jurisdiction in which he or she was a resident at the time. A new resident who shows proof of having a licence from another jurisdiction, who fails to pass the examination on the first try must take the Ontario Hunter Education Course before he or she can retry the examination.

Non-Resident

Non-Residents are simply those persons who do not fall into either of the above criteria.

A non-resident cannot obtain an Outdoors Card and must be 16 years of age to obtain a non-resident hunter licence in Ontario.

To obtain a licence to hunt in Ontario a non-resident must submit:

1. A hunting licence issued to him/her after January 01, 1968 under Ontario regulations.
2. A hunting licence issued by any competent jurisdiction after January 01, 1968 in which he or she was a resident at the time.
3. A certificate issued to him or her by an Ontario Hunter Education Examiner after January 01, 1968.
4. A licence verification certificate issued by M.N.R. A certificate issued to him or her by a competent authority in any jurisdiction, which indicates that the holder was, or is, authorized to purchase a hunting licence in that jurisdiction.