Ontario Fur Managers Federation cancels Sioux Lookout Convention

Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer

In an announcement on May 8, the Ontario Fur Managers Federation (OFMF) confirmed their 2020 AGM and Convention in Sioux Lookout, which was scheduled for August, has been cancelled.
“Trappers: It is with regrets that the OFMF Board of Directors announces that the 2020 AGM and Convention in Sioux Lookout, ON has been CANCELLED due to the COVID – 19 pandemic and the crisis it continues to cause. The main concern of the OFMF is the safety and health of all of our members. Once this pandemic’s restrictions on travel and gatherings of large groups have been lifted, the Board of Directors will send a notification out to members for a special meeting date and location where the AGM will be held in the province – hopefully sometime this fall. We regret any inconvenience and disappointment this may have caused; however, we are all in the same position due to COVID-19. While it is now cancelled, we would still like to thank the Sioux Lookout Convention Committee for all their efforts and time for taking on the planning for this event,” the Sioux Lookout Area Fur Managers Council (SLAFMC) shared on their Facebook page.
The SLAFMC said the AGM and Convention in Sioux Lookout was to have been a two-day event featuring trappers from across the province.
“It was going to be a two-day event. On the Friday there was going to be a pancake breakfast by the Scouts, and then there was going to be a fish fry and the AGM at the Legion… Saturday was going to be the convention, so it’s similar to an outdoor show but all the trappers come… It was for the northwest region so people were coming from Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, and even Montreal. It was going to be the first time that it came up north here,” said Maegan Ciurko, SLAFMC Secretary and Treasurer.
“They offered to come in the next two years… It was already scheduled for Parry Sound next year, and they had asked if I wanted to do it in two years. I said I couldn’t really commit to that at this time,” she said.
This year’s sixth Annual Pelt Prep Workshop, hosted by SLAFMC, had already been cancelled due to COVID-19. Discussions regarding next year’s workshop won’t start until the fall.
“We cancelled this year’s already. That was supposed to be around April or May. We won’t be planning next year’s until the fall. I’ll have to wait until we can meet as a Council again to make those decisions,” said Ciurko.
To stay up to date on the SLAFMC, check out their Facebook page @SLAFMC.