An Elgin, Ontario, resident has been fined for illegally dredging shore lands and must restore the site at his own expense.

Brian Alan Douglas Taylor pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 for dredging shore lands, a contravention of the Public Lands Act, and $1,000 for depositing silt into the waters of a lake, a contravention of the Lakes And Rivers Improvement Act.

Taylor was also ordered by the court to rehabilitate the site according to the conditions of a Ministry of Natural Resources work permit.

Court heard that on April 25, 2013, Taylor, using a back hoe and hand tools, pulled back the shoreline of Lower Beverly Lake within Rideau Lakes Township. He removed natural vegetation, gravel and rock and disturbed the bed of the lake below the high water mark.

This activity caused silt to be released and deposited into the water at a critical time for spawning fish. Taylor carried out this work without a work permit. Justice of the Peace Richard Sculthorpe heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Brockville, on August 7, 2013.

Shoreline work has the potential to negatively affect numerous fish species that depend on near shore areas during spawning and early life stages. The public is also reminded that dredging or filling of shore lands is prohibited unless the Ministry of Natural Resources has issued a work permit.

More information on work permits is available at www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/CrownLand/index.html.

To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local MNR office during regular business hours.

You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).