MNR fines hunt club, man for work done without permit

The Ministry of Natural Resources has fined a Marten River hunt club and a Temagami man for working on Crown land without a permit.

Details are included in the following news release sent by the MNR at 3:10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10:
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$2,500 IN FINES FOR WORK DONE WITHOUT A PERMIT

NORTH BAY — A Marten River hunt club and a Temagami man have both been fined for working on Crown land without a work permit.

William Kitts, 54, was fined $2,000 under the Public Lands Act. He pleaded guilty to filling in Lake Temagami shore land without a permit, the third time he has been convicted for altering shoreline.

In April, officers from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) investigated an illegal rock fill at Temagami Marine Ltd. Kitts, the firm’s owner, confessed to being the culprit. As well as the fine, he must remove the fill and restore the site to MNR specifications.

Haileybury Hunting and Fishing Club Inc. was fined $500 under the Aggregates Resources Act for stealing gravel from Crown land. The club also received a suspended sentence under the Public Lands Act for building a water crossing on public land without a permit.

MNR staff investigating improperly installed culverts on a bush road near Marten River found them filled with stone taken from a public gravel pit. Club members voluntarily repaired the road and restored it to MNR standards before the court case.

Justice of the Peace William Brownell heard the cases in Haileybury Provincial Court on October 30, 2003.

The public is encouraged to help protect its natural resources by reporting violations to the local MNR office or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).