MNR enforcement blitz leads to 37 charges

Ministry of Natural Resources
News Release

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Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officers laid 37 charges and seized illegally harvested fish and wildlife, including three bears, during an enforcement blitz in northeastern Ontario.

The area of the blitz extended from the Hudson Bay and James Bay coasts in the north, to the French and Mattawa rivers in the south, and from the Ontario-Quebec border in the east to Lake Superior and Manitouwadge in the west.

Between August 15 and 25, conservation officers checked more than 2,000 hunters and uncovered 123 violations that led to 37 charges and 86 warnings.

The blitz coincided with the opening of the bear season in much of the region.

Charges were laid for a number of offences, including:

• having loaded firearms in vehicles and boats

• unlawful possession of firearms at night

• hunting without a licence

• hunting without proper licences and tags, and

• permitting harvested black bears to spoil or be abandoned.

During the blitz, conservation officers conducted checks of hunters who were at the Sault Ste Marie border crossing. Assisted by the Canadian Wildlife Service and Canadian Border Services Agency, they seized several bear parts being transported into the United States.

For more information on hunting regulations, please consult the 2012 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).

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