Allan Wakeford pleads guilty to several hunting violations

SCUGOG — A Port Perry man has been fined $5,000 and banned from trapping for a year after he pleaded guilty to several hunting violations.

During a court appearance on Dec. 18 in Whitby, Allan Wakeford was fined $1,500 for trapping without a licence, $1,000 for improperly setting leghold traps for mink and $1,500 for trapping fisher. He was also fined $1,000 for falsifying fur harvest reports, according to a Ministry of Natural Resources press release.

In addition to the fines, Mr. Wakeford has been prohibited from trapping for one year and from using leghold traps for three years. He must also successfully complete a fur harvest, fur management and conservation course prior to regaining his trapping licence.

Court heard that MNR conservation officers received a complaint on Nov. 11, 2013 that a person was trapping on private property in Scugog Township without landowner permission. A trapping licence is not valid without written permission from a landowner, says the MNR.

A further investigation revealed that Mr. Wakeford had improperly set several leghold traps for mink in other areas of Scugog Township and was attempting to trap fisher, which he did not have an assigned quota for, add MNR officials.

The investigation also found that in 2012 and 2013, Mr. Wakeford had falsified mandatory fur harvest reports by reporting fisher on his Kemptville District licence that were actually harvested in the Aurora District, say MNR officials.

The case was heard before justice of the peace Dolly V. Mecoy in the Ontario Court of Justice.

To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-847-7667.