A United States resident has been fined a total of $5,000 for several angling-related offences.
Wojciech Rzepka of Park Ridge, Illinois, was convicted of three counts of possessing a void fishing licence and fined $3,300. He was also fined $850 for angling without a valid licence and $850 for making a false statement to a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer.
The court heard that on August 20, 2010, a conservation officer contacted Rzepka as he fished on Lac Seul, near Ear Falls. Rzepka told the officer he lived in Mississauga and showed him his Ontario resident Outdoors Card and fishing licence tag for residents. An investigation revealed that Rzepka had been posing as an Ontario resident since 1993 in order to obtain resident fishing licences. Rzepka has never lived in Ontario.
Justice of the Peace Robert McNally heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Kenora, on November 9, 2010.
For more information on fishing regulations, please consult the 2010 Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary. The summary is also available at ServiceOntario/Government Information Centres, licence issuers and on the ministry’s website at ontario.ca/fishing.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (874-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local Ministry of Natural Resources. You can also call Crime stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Rick Andrews, Red Lake District, 807-727-1393
Tim Neidenbach, Red Lake District, 807-222-3219
