Two Thunder Bay men have been fined a total of $1,500 for violations under the Public Lands Act.
One of the individuals was convicted at trial and fined $1,000 for constructing a road or trail and a water crossing on public land without the appropriate permits.
The other was also convicted at trial and fined $500 for constructing a road or trail on public land without a permit.
The court heard that a conservation officer contacted them in July 2016 regarding road construction activities in the vicinity of Powell Lake. After an on-site inspection by local district staff, a conservation officer’s investigation revealed that between July 5 and August 10, 2016, they used machinery to construct a three-kilometre road or trail from Windblown Lake Road to Powell Lake Resort, which is located west of Thunder Bay. The one individual also constructed a bridge over the Greenwood River. The road and water crossing were constructed to access Powell Lake Resort.
They have since rehabilitated the site at their own expense by rendering the road or trail unusable and removing the water crossing.
Justice of the Peace Denette C. Maslach rendered the verdict in the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay, on February 26, 2018. After an adjournment to allow for the completion of rehabilitation, the court completed sentencing and imposed a fine on September 5, 2018.
For further information on activities or work requiring permits on Crown land, please consult www.ontario.ca/page/crown-land or contact your local MNRF District Office.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). And visit Ontario.ca/mnrftips to view an interactive, searchable map of unsolved cases. You may be able to provide information that will help solve a case.
For more information regarding the case you can contact S/SGT Rick LeBlanc, Thunder Bay Enforcement Unit, (807) 475-1668