Wikipedia notes that cougars are reported to be in the eastern NA, with Quebec confirming:
"Currently, it ranges across most western American states, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and the Canadian Yukon Territory. There have been widely debated reports of possible recolonization of eastern North America.[44] DNA evidence has suggested its presence in eastern North America,[45] while a consolidated map of cougar sightings shows numerous reports, from the mid-western Great Plains through to Eastern Canada.[46] The Quebec wildlife services (known locally as MRNF) also considers Cougar to be present in the province as a threatened species after multiple DNA tests confirmed cougar hair in Lynx mating sites."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar See the article for the references.
No idea why the Ontario ministry would be in denial.
Working in the woods, I have had a couple of close encounters with cougar's that I am aware of, and probably more that I was not. Our family has a cougar skin rug, complete with head (and teeth
). They are just a fact of life here in BC.