Canada's Oldest Business Updated

The explorers set out seeking spices and silks not expecting to discover the New World and develop Canada’s oldest land based industry.

North Bay Fur Harvesters Auction is celebrating the industry this weekend with their 15th annual convention. The conference offers a social atmosphere that includes educational seminars for trappers and kids workshops.

“North Bay Fur Harvester Auction is known around the world for the best beaver in the world and one of the reasons is this convention and the training that goes on,” states Jim Gibb of the Fur Harvesters.

The convention marks the end of the beaver season (March 31st) which allows many of the trappers to mix business with pleasure, as organisers anticipate they will receive just over 5.000 beaver pelts this weekend.

An upswing in fur use across the world witnessed record breaking sales this year and in turn led to an excellent turn out of participants for the convention.

“We’ve been telling the guys over the last few years that it’s been coming, because we’ve noticed the fashion designers in the world and the big fashion houses have been using more and more fur,” states Gibb.

“Generally our February sale is four million dollars, well the same amount of fur sold for seven million dollars this year. So we’re really happy, our trappers are really happy the prices are up as well, so that bolds well for everybody in our industry.”

The fur industry is a sustainable harvest, however, while so many businesses in North Bay are eager to see the expansion of the four lanes of Highway 11, the fur industry is not, in fact they see it as a threat.

“As long as the land stays healthy the fur bearers and trappers will exist. The biggest threat to trapping is urban sprawl and the loss of habitat,” says Gibb.

“They are paving paradise to put up a parking lot.”