News & Notices
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) does not have any control over how active
private trappers are on the landscape or what the local beaver population is, but to assist landowners
and municipalities with nuisance beavers and beaver dams, legislation under the control of the MNRF
allows for the control of nuisance beavers and the destruction of beaver dams in certain circumstances
to protect property and public safety.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA) allows property owners (includes municipalities on
municipal property) to harass, capture or humanely kill wildlife that is damaging or about to damage the
person's property.
The property owner may use an agent to harass, capture or kill the wildlife. Agents are defined in
Ontario Regulation 665/98: Hunting, and include:
* Licensed Ontario trappers.
* Members of a landowner's immediate family acting on behalf of the landowner on the landowner's
own land.
* Persons whose business is primarily the business of removing nuisance wildlife If they harass wildlife
or If they capture and release it if it is capable of being released.
* Employees or agents of a municipality whose responsibilities relate to wildlife control.
Note: To enter onto property to harass, capture or kill wildlife, the property owner's permission must be
granted.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA) allows the following persons to damage or destroy a beaver dam:
* Licensed Ontario trappers.
* property owner or an agent (see definition above) of the property owner to protect the property owner’s property. Note: * To enter onto property to damage or destroy a beaver dam, the property owner's permission must be granted. * There is the potential for civil liability if there are damages to others caused by damaging or destroying a beaver dam. * There are sections of the federal Fisheries Act which prohibit the destruction or alteration of fish habitat. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) provides a code of practice that outlines national best practices for the removal of beaver dams (URL: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pnw-ppe/codes/beaverdam-barrage- castor-eng.html).
If It is determined that a beaver dam should be removed, this should be done slowly over a period of days/weeks to avoid damage to upstream and downstream properties, including roads, fish habitat, etc. There is more information on the DFO website including best practices to avoid damage to any fish habitat: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pnw-ppe/lndex-eng.html.
Further information regarding conflict with beavers is located on the Ontario website at: https://www.ontario.ca/page/preventing-conflicts-beavers.
