‘Certainly could do better’: Manitoba ‘winding down’ contract with Texas-based firm

A Texas-based company is still managing Manitoba’s hunting and fishing licensing for the season. Danton Unger reports.

A provincial promise to keep its contracts Canadian has come with a bit of a catch – Manitoba will continue to use a Texas-based firm to manage fishing and hunting licences this season with hopes of finding a local alternative by next year.

Since 2019, Manitoba has spent more than $7 million on a contract with Aspira – an outdoor reservation software company – to manage provincial park passes along with hunting and fishing licences.

Last month, the province said that was going to change.

“I’m proud to announce that we are ending the previous government’s multi-million dollar contract – the contract they signed with a Texas firm for your park passes,” Manitoba Finance Minister Adrien Sala said while tabling the 2025 budget.

With this move, the government announced it would be giving Manitobans free entry to provincial parks this year while looking for Canadian alternatives to Aspira.

However, it was only after CTV News reached out that the province confirmed it would still be using Aspira for hunting and fishing licences for the upcoming season.

“The hunting and the fishing licences, those seasons are about to begin, and they’re kind of complicated systems to turn around on a dime,” Minister of Innovation and New Technology Mike Moroz told CTV News. “Those will remain with Aspira for the time being, while we do our legwork.”

He said the province is now looking for Manitoban or Canadian companies to take over the contract. However, the minister said this process will take some time as the province wants to ensure potential candidates have the capacity required.

When asked if he believes the province will have a local alternative to Aspira ready to take over by next season, Moroz said that is the goal.

“We want to make sure we do this right, that we get the solution that works best long term for Manitobans. That meets the standards they need at a price point that’s appropriate,” he said. “If that takes a little bit of time, we’re going to take that time.”

So where does the contract with Aspira stand now? It is set to expire in March 2026, with a provincial spokesperson telling CTV News that Manitoba is “winding down” the contract.

“We’ve let them know that the park (passes) is no longer within the contract,” Moroz said. “We’ve alerted them to the fact that we are looking at our alternatives.”

‘We can’t do it for one dollar’: Local vendor welcomes change, hopes to see improvements

This is welcome news to Lee Nolden, who runs the Smoke N Fish tackle shop in Selkirk.

“The province of Manitoba certainly could do better,” he said.

Every year, Nolden issues about 3,000 fishing licences from his shop. But he has some concerns with the system – particularly with how much it costs him.

“When we sell a fishing licence, we physically lose money on that sale,” he said. “The province pays us $1 for every licence sold, and it costs us more than that to produce that licence.”

The province’s current contract with Aspira sees the firm collect a $4.50 administrative fee on every transaction.

Nolden hopes this change provides an opportunity to make the whole system more profitable for local vendors as well.

“We can’t do it for $1. It’s been like that for a heck of a long time, and it just doesn’t work anymore.”

Moroz told CTV News it is too early in the process to make any determinations about that, but said affordability is a key concern for the province.