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A former Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party leadership candidate is suing the province, two wildlife officials and three NDP cabinet ministers for preventing his ecotourism company from operating offroad polar bear viewing vehicles east of Churchill.
In a statement of claim filed on Dec. 22, Lazy Bear Expeditions and its owner Wally Daudrich asked Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench to declare his company is entitled to two offroad vehicle permits and to order the province to grant those permits.
Daudrich has also asked the court to state that officials involved in a 2025 decision not to renew two permits originally issued to Lazy Bear in 2020 engaged in misfeasance, negligence, bad faith, conspiracy, unlawful conduct, economic interference and discrimination based on political orientation.
The statement of claim lists the NDP ministers responsible for natural resources, business and environment as defendants without identifying them by name. The claim also lists the director of the wildlife branch and conservation officer Ian Van Nest as defendants.
“The defendants knew, or were reckless to the fact, that their decisions and actions were unlawful and would devastate Lazy Bear’s business, destroy its long-standing contracts and relationships with international tour operators and suppliers, and cause multi-million-dollar losses to Lazy Bear,” Daudrich states in the claim.
This is the latest of several legal actions taken by Daudrich since Feb. 27, 2025, when the province sent Lazy Bear a letter informing the company it would not be permitted to operate polar-bear viewing vehicles offroad in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area during the 2025-26 season.
In an application filed on March 26, Daudrich asked the court to review the wildlife branch’s decision. He later requested an injunction to restore his permits for two vehicles.
While no decision has yet been made about the review, according to Manitoba court records, Daudrich’s request for an injunction was first denied in April and then again, upon appeal, in June.
In the new statement of claim, Daudrich claims the province did not issue Lazy Bear offroad polar bear viewing permits in order to protect and pressure “a long-standing duopoly enjoyed by Lazy’s Bear’s competitors,” Frontiers North Adventures and Great White Bear Tours, which have 18 offroad permits between them.
Daudrich claims in the statement the province conspired or colluded with Frontiers North and Great White Bear “to destroy Lazy Bear’s competitive position in the lucrative market of polar bear viewing tours” in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area.
An official with Frontiers North declined comment while a representative for Great White Bear did not respond to a request for comment. Neither company is named as a defendant in the statement of claim.
Daudrich also states in his claim the province punished him “for no lawful purpose,” including his “perceived political beliefs and associations,” as well as his candidacy to become Manitoba’s PC leader in 2025.
Daudrich also states in the claim he is the victim of “false accusations” that Lazy Bear received two offroad vehicle permits in 2020 from the former PC government “through alleged inappropriate means.”
In addition to seeking the renewal of two permits, Daudrich is seeking unspecified damages for the loss if income and profits in 2025, loss of existing and prospective contracts with tour operators, loss of relationships with suppliers, loss of market share, wasted expenditures on vehicles and damage to his reputation.
The allegations have not been tested in court. No statement of defence has been filed.
The provincial public service declined to comment on behalf of its wildlife branch director and conservation officer Van Nest.
“It would not be appropriate for the province to comment on a matter before the courts,” the public service said in a statement it did not attribute to any official.
Ben Leahy, a spokesperson for the government, also declined to comment on behalf of three cabinet ministers listed as defendants in the claim.
“Our government is currently awaiting a decision in a separate lawsuit with the plaintiff,” Leahy said in a statement, referring to the request for a judicial review.
Daudrich stated in December he intends to run for office in the next provincial election as the PC candidate in the constituency of Turtle Mountain.
