331 Cooper St. Suite 701
Ottawa ON, K2P 0G5
Telephone: 613.231.7099
Fax: 613.231.7940
Adila LowI’m retired. My husband and I trap around here and I take the fur and skin it and tan it and sew it into hats and mitts and I even make teddy bears. I’ve been trapping since 1974 and I’ve been sewing fur since 1991.
Alcide GirouxI am a full-time trapper and I harvest furs and live bait. I’ve been trapping for over forty years.
Alex Van BibberI’m a full-time trapper and trapping instructor. I tell my students that I’ve been trapping since I could bend over and put my snowshoes on and I’ll be trapping until I can’t bend over and put the snow shoes on.
Catherine MooresMink farming is the very last thing that I thought I would be doing today, but I really do love it.
David Mianscum"This is my ancestor’s land and I am still living and hunting here. Making a living from the outdoors has always been my livelihood. Hunting, trapping and fishing have always been my way of life.
George WapacheeGeorge used to live at this traditional Cree gathering place on the banks of Lake Champion, and he returns every year for the summer gathering.
Jeff MitchellI live on a 150 acre mixed crop and livestock farm. In1949 my father bought his first mink for breeding- 4 females and one male. When my father married, my mother brought mink with her to the farm.
Kenny LoonThe Goose Break spring hunt is held each year beginning at the end of April and the first two weeks of May. For those few weeks families and friends take a break away from their Cree community of Mistissini to live at the bush camp to hunt Canada Goose.
Marianne PattenI grew up on a dairy farm in the Annapolis Valley so agriculture and the farming work ethic has always been a part of me. I always knew I would be involved with some aspect of agriculture.
Michelle HiltzI have been a part of the Humane Trapping Program at the Alberta Research Council (ARC) since 1994 and have been the program leader since 2000. As a trap researcher, my job is to evaluate the quality and humaneness of traps against international humane trapping standards, and to develop new technologies for testing traps.
Mike O’BrienI came into this position in the fall of 1995. When I came here both lynx and martin were primarily restricted to Cape Breton Island. In the mid-seventies there was a decision by Parks Canada to reintroduce martin in Kejamkujik national park.
Paul TuftsI’m a retired provincial wildlife biologist, retired fur farmer and active trapper. It was my interest in furbearers that brought me into the wildlife biology field. I started trapping when I was 10 and you could say trapping and furbearers have been a part of my whole life.
Ross HinterI make a living in wildlife control or what we call animal damage control. I’ve been trapping…well, I’ve been around it all my life, but I’ve been doing it as a profession for ten years. The company I work with handles wildlife conflict problems throughout the province.
Ryan Sealy & Andrea FischerWe’ve been trapping since 1993. In late September, we move to our trap line. This is what we do and where we live throughout the trapping season. We have three children and because our line is not too far from Whitehorse, they can take the bus and go to school. When summer comes we switch roles – I’m with the kids while Andrea is the wage earner.
Serge LarivièreIt is rewarding to work for such a noble cause. The Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Board was formed to administer the Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Program which is part of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement signed in 1975. The Program encourages Cree to pursue their traditional harvesting activities.
Ted ParkinsonI’ve been raising mink for over 30 years. After university I was a salesman for a few years but realized I enjoyed mink ranching much more.
The Tomatuk FamilyWhen the Tomatuk family needs to restock the freezer they do it in the
traditional ways. Four generations of family members go out together to
hunt winter caribou which are easy to find at that time of year. But as
tradition demands, it is the youngest hunter who actually hunts the
animal.
Thomas CoonThere is a belief that when you live on the land there is a special relationship with the land. The land was created by our Creator and when you have a special relationship with the land, you have a special relationship with The Creator himself.
The following are a selection of previously published profiles featuring Canadians who work on the land. Their stories bring to life their knowledge and contributions in the sustainable and responsible use of our fur resources.
Aug.27.09 - Life on the Trapline
Aug.01.09 - Trapping For a Living
Mar.24.09 - Sustaining the wild
May.06.08 - Trappers make the environment better - Trappers net piles of trash
Feb.12.08 - A day in the life of a Canadian trapper
Jan.28.08 - Trapping is his life
Jan.24.08 - Riverside Fur Farm doing well
Feb.25.07 - Three Hours on a Trapper's Trail - Hunting Down a Living In the Wilds of Canada
Jan.04.03 - Men of the fur table
