Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson says Marineland’s request for emergency funding, in a letter that warned 30 belugas at the park will otherwise be euthanized, is “inappropriate.”
Thompson says the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction is accountable for the care of its remaining belugas, after the deaths of 19 such whales at the park since 2019.
Marineland wrote to Thompson on Friday asking for emergency funds from Ottawa in order to feed and care for the belugas after the minister denied the park’s request to move them to China.
Thompson has said she will not subject the belugas to further exploitation at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom.
Marineland had a deal with Chimelong to send all 30 belugas there but says with that blocked and nothing else on the horizon, euthanasia may be the only option.
Marineland did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2025.
—with files from David Baxter in Ottawa
