CUMBERLAND HOUSE, SK. - October 25, 2005 – Four
Saskatchewan men, including a waterfowl outfitter and three guides, were
sentenced today in Provincial Court to a fine of $30,000 for 56 counts
of violating federal and provincial wildlife legislation in connection
with illegal waterfowl hunting and guiding activities in the Cumberland
Marsh area of Saskatchewan.
Gary Carrière, Delvin Laliberté, Cory McKenzie and Claude
Dussion pleaded guilty in March 2005 to a total of 51 counts under the
federal Migratory Birds Convention Act and five counts under
the Saskatchewan Wildlife Act, including aiding, abetting and
counseling others to hunt over legal limits of waterfowl; failing to retrieve
dead and wounded birds; using a power boat to disturb wildlife and failure
to report contraventions. The violations occurred in 2002 and 2003 while
the accused were guiding American waterfowl hunters at Mistik Lodge near
Cumberland House. Cumberland House is located approximately 400 km northeast
of Saskatoon.
The charges were laid by Environment Canada and Saskatchewan Environment
in October 2003, following a 2 year investigation dubbed “Operation
Overboard”, conducted jointly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Operation Overboard also resulted in four North Carolina hunters being
fined $27,000 after pleading guilty in September 2004 to nine counts of
violating federal and provincial wildlife legislation. The hunters also
donated $4,000 to the Environmental Damages Fund in exchange for the return
of some seized equipment. Additional equipment with an estimated value
of $10,500 was forfeited, including firearms and clothing. Three other
South Carolina hunters paid fines totaling $2570 for offences they committed
while hunting at the lodge in 2002.
The guilty pleas entered by the guides were in relation to their actions
of ignoring laws, encouraging their clientele to shoot as many as three
times their daily limit of ducks, and often not retrieving birds that
were shot. Evidence presented by the Crown indicated these activities
had been occurring for ten years.
The Saskatchewan Wildlife Act provides for maximum penalties
of $100,000 per offence. The maximum penalty on summary conviction for
each violation under the Migratory Birds Convention Act is $50,000
and/or six months in jail.
The Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment Canada,
provides courts a way to ensure that financial penalties are directed
to address environmental damages.
For more information, please contact:
Brian Petrar
Regional Special Investigations Coordinator
Wildlife Enforcement Division
Environment Canada
(306) 975-4799, cell (306) 221-9731
The Migratory Birds Convention Act is available at:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/EnviroRegs/Eng/SearchDetail.cfm?intAct=1010
The Saskatchewan Wildlife Act is available at:
http://www.qp.gov.sk.ca/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=details&c=2061&id=2
