Province appeals ruling on polar bear tours run by high-profile Tory

The Kinew government is appealing a court order to revisit its cancellation of permits allowing an ecotourism business to run off-road polar bear tours outside Churchill.

The province’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal at the Court of King’s Bench on March 3.

It alleges Justice Shawn Greenberg “erred in law and fact” in her Jan. 9 ruling that the province acted improperly when it revoked touring licenses from Lazy Bear Expeditions.

The filing is the latest in a year-long legal battle with businessman Wally Daudrich — the runner-up in the Progressive Conservatives’ 2025 leadership race.

“We won the case and we’ll continue fighting this appeal,” Daudrich said in an interview on Monday evening.

His company lost two licenses to operate tundra vehicles in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area for the 2025-26 viewing season.

Great White Bear Tours and Frontier North Adventures are currently the only operators that have permission to run off-road sightseeing tours.

Manitoba had capped the number of permits at 18 in 1984, but in 2020, the former PC government authorized two additions for Daudrich.

Lazy Bear’s remaining permits only allow its tour guides to travel in an area with roads and fewer polar bear sightings.

Daudrich, a longtime PC member, has repeatedly argued that the government took away his licenses last year because of his politics.

He echoed those comments on Monday, saying he’s convinced the province is launching an appeal now because he recently signalled his plans to seek the PC nomination for the Turtle Mountain constituency.

“What you can boil this all down to is that Wab Kinew will do everything he can to keep me out of the (legislature),” he said.

Provincial officials have defended their decision, saying it was made to protect the local ecosystem, address the crowded market and align with a 2013 wildlife-management plan.

“This decision is intended to align with Manitoba’s conservation priorities for polar bears and the protection of the sensitive tundra ecosystem,” Wildlife Branch director Maria Arlt wrote in a letter to Daudrich on Feb. 27, 2025.

Greenberg rejected the province’s rationale when she delivered her ruling in January.

At the time, she said there was no evidence to suggest slashing the permits would better protect polar bears in the area.

The judge suggested the province acted to address pressure from Lazy Bear’s competitors — one of whom filed a lawsuit after the overall permit count was raised in 2020.

She requested Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie reconsider Lazy Bear’s extra permits, and take relevant legislation into account, above all else.

Daudrich said his company reapplied to recuperate its two permits for the 2026-27 season following the Jan. 9 ruling.

Bushie’s office declined to comment on the latest development on Monday, given the case remains before the courts.

The province’s lawyers are challenging Greenberg’s findings that there was a breach of procedural fairness and unreasonable action.

In addition to this legal challenge, Daudrich has filed a statement of claim alleging the province’s actions have damaged his company’s reputation.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca