economic sustainability of private forestland. Hodgson also cooperated with hunters and animal rights activists to introduce the first amended Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act in 50 years, replacing the Game and Fish Act, in an effort to toughen enforcement provisions in the industry, increase protection of a wider range of species and better manage resources. Moreover, Hodgson brought together and collaborated with Ontario trappers to form the Ontario Fur Managers Federation for the management of wild fur resources. He also created the Special Purpose Account and the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund and Advisory Boards to earmark funding to fish and wildlife parks, and set up an account dedicated to fishing and hunting license revenues for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. He also introduced Bill 52 to make Aggregate Industry more accountable for meeting strict provincial standards and removing barriers to job creation in the sector. As Minister, Hodgson also awarded private-sector contracts to assist firefighting and frontline health and medical services at large fire sites. He led the strategy to tackle the Land Caution in the Temagami area, resolving the long-standing dispute on land use and resource management, and was also singled out for bringing together all sides of the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site and brokering an agreement by writing new legislation to turn the 36,000-hectare Kawartha Highlands into a provincial park. He was recognized as the key figure in this process by the president of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. As Minister of Northern Development, Hodgson promoted economic diversity and the creation of long-term jobs in the North as chair of the $210-million Northern Heritage Fund and the $77-million Special Circumstances Fund, and maintained the Ontario Prospectors Assistance Program. He also helped draft the first partnership between the province and a First Nations band to manage a provincial park (Serpent Mounds). He was also praised for targeting illegal gambling and rejuvenated the horse-racing industry by banning video lottery terminals from bars and restaurants, and proposing slot machines at racetracks, rejecting a proposal for private gambling houses in a bid to consolidate the administration of legal gaming under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Lottery Corporation. His efforts were recognized by the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association and the Responsible Gaming Council. As Minister of Municipal Affairs, he rewrote the Municipal Act for the first time since the passage of the Baldwin Act in the late 19th century,