Yeah, I guess. "Open carry" when you're hunting makes sense, it's not like you can hunt without your rifle. Or does open carry imply a pistol?
To me carrying a pistol around in the city is a bit like carrying around a chain saw. I don't live in an area with a high crime rate so I don't see a need for a pistol when I walk around. Similarly, I'm not cutting down trees, so I can leave my chainsaw at the cottage. The right tools for the right job and all that.
Plus up here you can get in a lot of trouble for walking around with your pistol. Even the local range says:
Can I open/conceal carry a firearm on the property?
NO. You may only carry a holstered firearm on range 4 & 5 and only if you have completed your Black Badge or IDPA holster course with tangible documentation/badges to support it.
You must also obtain permission from the range officer per session to do so, and cannot make any vertical or horizontal movements unless a sanctioned practice or match is in session.
*You cannot step foot off the range past the fence with a holstered firearm. This includes going to your car.
If you want to transport a pistol within Canada, it has to be unloaded, locked (I think this means a trigger lock), the weapon has to be locked in a container and you need a transport authorization.
Back on page 45, I noticed one of the hunters mentioned they carried a pistol for dealing with bears. Anyone ever had to shoot a charging black bear with their pistol? I think that would be terrifying. I used to spend a lot of time in the rockies and I got about 4 weeks in the Yukon. Bear avoidance was pretty important. A friend of mine was treed by a young grizzly in the Yukon. She handled it pretty well. The bear well, it wandered into a native village a few weeks later and was shot.