15/03/2005 - Four Saskatchewan
men, including a waterfowl outfitter and three
guides, pleaded guilty today in Provincial
Court on 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. The case was adjourned for sentencing
until May 12, 2005.
Gary Carrière, Delvin Laliberté,
Cory McKenzie and Claude Dussion were convicted
of 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 killed 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 an investigation dubbed “Operation
Overboard”, conducted jointly with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Operation Overboard also resulted in four
American 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.
The guilty pleas entered by the guides were
in relation to their actions of ignoring laws
and encouraging their American clientele to
shoot as many as three times their daily limit
of ducks and often not retrieving those birds
that were shot.
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.
