(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
July 12, 2013 - 6:00 AM
THOMPSON OKANAGAN – The province is looking at upgrading the hunting licence program by creating an online service accessible to hunters 24 hours a day but says it does not have plans to fully replace vendors with the online service.
Currently licences are available through Service B.C.and select vendors throughout the province. In the Thompson Okanagan there are about three dozen locations including Wal-Marts, Canadian Tires and specialized retailers in most cities.
The province plans on adding the online service by the 2015-2016 hunting season. The program is being touted as a way to offer licences outside of regular business hours and is expected to be especially helpful to resident hunters who will be able to purchase licences while at camps.
The program will also act as a central data collection point where guide outfitter hunter reports and resident hunter harvest information can be input directly, allowing for better wildlife management decisions.
In B.C. More than 100,000 licences were sold last season generating more than $9.2 million in licencing revenues. It is believed offering the online service will increase cost effectiveness of the program.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250) 819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013