Enforcement Checks In Southeastern Ontario Lead To Charges
Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers laid 30 charges and seized three firearms during recent enforcement checks in southeastern Ontario.
The targeted area covered the counties of Lanark; Leeds and Grenville; Prescott and Russell; Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; as well as the City of Ottawa.
From November 1 to November 14, 2010, conservation officers checked approximately 650 hunters and found 63 violations, leading to 30 charges and 33 warnings. A number of investigations are ongoing and further charges are expected. The enforcement initiatives coincided with the opening of the rifle/shotgun deer hunting seasons.
Charges were laid for a range of offences, including:
- having a loaded firearm in a vehicle
- unlawful possession of a firearm at night
- failing to wear hunter orange while hunting
- trespassing to hunt
- possessing another person’s game seal, and
- careless hunting.
Special emphasis was placed on safe hunting practices, including the requirement that hunters wear hunter orange. Some hunters wore less than the required minimum area of orange clothing, or none at all. Hunters were also found with loaded firearms in their vehicles, or had discharged firearms from a motor vehicle. Officers also found hunters using firearms at night.
For more information on hunting regulations, please consult the 2010-2011 Hunting Regulations Summary available from licence issuers, ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres and on the ministry’s website at ontario.ca/hunting.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (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).
Steven Aubry, Kemptville Enforcement Unit, 613-258-8404
