$4,000 in Fines for Hunting and Land Offence
A Hamilton man has been fined a total of $4,000 for violations under the Public Lands Act and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
Douglas E. Smith was convicted at a trial in absentia of leaving a camping vehicle on Crown land in 2016. He was fined $1,000 and received a court order to remove his camping vehicle within 90 days. He was also convicted of hunting deer without a licence in the 2016 and 2017 deer hunting seasons and was fined $1,500 for each offence. He is prohibited from hunting in Ontario for three years.
Court heard that on November 9, 2017, a conservation officer was on patrol when he met Smith and his hunting party at their camper site. While conducting an inspection, the officer interviewed Smith and another party member about the camper and their hunting activities. The officer found that Smith placed the camper on Crown land and had left it there for over a year. The officer also determined that Smith had been hunting deer without a licence for two years.
Justice of the Peace Ernie Parsons heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Bancroft, on June 5, 2018.
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.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love