An
Environment Canada Enforcement Blitz Leads
to Convictions and Penalties against American
Hunters
SASKATOON, SK -- November
6, 2008 -- A joint Canada-United States
wildlife enforcement investigation has resulted
in five American hunters pleading guilty
in a Provincial Court in Melfort, Saskatchewan
to 21 counts of violations under the Migratory
Birds Convention Act, 1994.
The hunters were sentenced
to pay fines totaling $22,500 for illegal
waterfowl hunting in the Naicam and Melfort
areas of Saskatchewan. The fines imposed
by the court were allocated to the Environmental
Damages Fund. This fund, administered by
Environment Canada, provides courts with
a way to ensure that financial penalties
are directed to address environmental damages.
The convictions were
a result of a year-long joint investigation
led by Environment Canada and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. Digital photos, seized
during a 2007 border inspection blitz, were
part of the evidence that allowed Environment
Canada to lay numerous charges against the
hunters. Violations included exceeding the
daily bag limit, hunting after the bag limit
was reached, exceeding possession limit
for geese, and transport of migratory birds
without a fully feathered wing.
John Edward Lockner
of West Lakeland, Minnesota pleaded guilty
to seven violations under the Migratory
Birds Regulations and was assessed a fine
of $7,500. Robert John Reem of Woodbury,
Minnesota pleaded guilty to five violations
and was assessed a fine of $6,000. Matthew
John Reem of Woodbury, Minnesota pleaded
guilty to five violations and was assessed
a fine of $6,000. Adrian Darrell Marsden
of Bayport, Minnesota pleaded guilty to
two violations and was assessed a fine of
$1,500. Patrick James Sweeney of Roseville,
Minnesota pleaded guilty to two violations
and was assessed a fine of $1,500. All hunters
received hunting suspensions of two to three
years and were ordered by the court to submit
an article to a wildlife magazine detailing
their violations and the fines assessed.
Under the Migratory
Birds Convention Act 1994, Canada and the
United States coordinate efforts to ensure
long-term conservation of migratory bird
populations. The maximum penalty on summary
conviction for each violation under the
legislation is $300,000 and/or six months
in jail.
Environment Canada Media
Relations
Enforcement of Canada’s
Federal Environmental and Wildlife LawsStrong
and effective enforcement of Canada’s environmental
and wildlife protection laws is a cornerstone
of the Government of Canada’s commitment
to clean air, clean water and the conservation
of wildlife species and their habitat.
Environment Canada’s
Enforcement Branch is built around the principle
of ensuring that companies and individuals
comply with the pollution prevention and
conservation goals of environmental and
wildlife protection acts and regulations.
Enforcement is delivered through the work
of in-the-field enforcement officers across
Canada working through the Environmental
Enforcement Directorate and the Wildlife
Enforcement Directorate.
Their work is carried
out in cooperation with other federal, provincial
and territorial governments and with international
organizations involved in enforcement such
as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,
the United States Environmental Enforcement
Agency and Interpol. For more information
on Enforcement’s national and international
partners, please visit the Partnership section
of our Web site.
The work of enforcement
officers also brings benefits to communities
through court awarded penalties to the Environmental
Damages Fund.
Find out more in the
pages that follow about how Environment
Canada’s Enforcement Branch is protecting
the environment and conserving nature.
About the Environmental
Damages Fund.
The 'Polluter Pays' Principle
The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) helps
ensure polluters take responsibility for
their actions. It gives courts a way to
guarantee that the money from pollution
penalties and settlements is directly invested
to repair the actual harm done by the pollution.
Environment Canada collaborates
with other federal departments including
the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and
Transport Canada to use the EDF in support
of several pieces of environmental legislation
such as the Federal Fisheries Act, the Canada
Shipping Act, the Canadian Wildlife Act
among others.
Environment Canada administers
the fund, and accounts for each award separately,
so that the money can then be used to fund
projects in the same community in which
the pollution has occurred.
The money in the fund
is allocated to local organizations, who
often use it as seed money to find partners
who contribute additional money and resources.
Groups who receive funding must carry out
their projects in a technically feasible,
scientifically sound and cost-effective
way.
Eligible Organizations
Non-governmental organizations
(such as community based environmental groups)
Universities
Aboriginal groups
Provincial, territorial and municipal governments
Project Funding Priorities
Projects that are considered
a top priority for funding are those which
restore natural resources, preferably in
the same area where the pollution occurred.
Other types of projects that may be considered
for funding include:
Research and development
on environmental damage assessment and restoration
Education on pollution prevention and the
restoration of natural resources
Applications for Environmental Damages Fund
projects are reviewed by a team of experts
from Environment Canada and other federal
departments, such as the Department of Fisheries
and Oceans and Transport Canada.
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Ontario Weather Review
October 2008 - With
summer now over, those warmer temperatures
have cooled off to typical fall readings.
A few locations reported temperatures significantly
warmer than normal, but most of the province
had near-normal temperatures. This is unlike
last October, which was one of the warmest
ever in portions of Ontario.
The bountiful rainfall
of the summer, however, has now become a
bit scarce. The fall has been generally
drier than normal at many sites, with a
number of monthly allotments of rainfall
running one-third to one-half of historical
figures. This has meant that many areas
have seen spectacular fall colours that
have been missing in recent years.
Snowfall has been reported
in the typical areas, but as of yet, snowfall
accumulations have been manageable.
Severe Weather
October was a relatively quiet month for
severe weather, with no major storms being
reported. The passage of a cold front on
October 14 did cause some minor tree damage
in the North Bay and Sudbury areas, as winds
behind the cold front briefly gusted to
approximately 75 kilometres per hour.
October 21 was also
notable for being the first taste of what
is to come this winter, with snow being
reported in many locations in Central, Eastern
and South Central Ontario. The community
of Powassan, to the south of North Bay,
received the most snow, with amounts near
15 centimetres. There were areas throughout
“cottage country,” and just to the north
of Toronto, which reported amounts ranging
from two to eight centimetres.
The month ended with
a large storm system roaring up the U.S.
Eastern Seaboard on October 28, which provided
another significant snowfall for portions
of Eastern Ontario. The snow began late
that day and continued into the morning
hours of the next day. Accumulations varied
between 10-20 centimetres, from the St.
Lawrence River up to the Ottawa area. In
addition, strong winds combined with the
snow to cause a number of power outages.
Further to the west, strong snowsqualls
also formed off Lake Huron and Georgian
Bay, with local accumulations up to 10 centimetres,
and even some reports of thunder and lightning
in the London area.
There were a few memorable
rainfall events in September, with the first
occurring in Northwestern Ontario on September
1. With a warm front draped over the Big
Trout Lake area during the early morning
hours, a series of thunderstorms moved over
the area, resulting in127 millimetres of
rain before the day was out. This set a
single-day rainfall record for Big Trout
Lake, shattering the previous record of
84.1 millimetres set on August 29, 1955.
The second major rainfall
event in September impacted Southern Ontario,
with particular emphasis on portions of
the Southwest. The weekend of September
13-14 brought the arrival in Ontario of
the remnants of two tropical storm systems.
On Saturday, September 14, what was left
of Pacific Tropical Storm Lowell paid a
visit to Southern Ontario, paying particular
attention to the Windsor area where 75 millimetres
fell. The location which recorded the highest
amount was the community of Corunna, just
south of Sarnia, where 100 millimetres fell.
Hot on the heels of Lowell, the remnants
of Hurricane Ike moved into Southern Ontario
the next day. The highest amounts from Ike
fell over the Goderich, Mount Forest and
Wiarton areas, where between 55 and 65 millimetres
of rain were recorded. The largest two-day
accumulation from both events was again
the Corunna area, where a total of 125 millimetres
fell.
With the severe weather
season now officially over, it is an opportunity
to look back on the kind of season it was
with respect to tornadoes. The total number
of tornadoes now stands at 12 for this season.
The long-term average number of tornadoes
in Ontario during the summer severe weather
season that runs from April to October is
11.
Three of these 12 tornadoes
were newly confirmed this fall. Of these
newly confirmed tornadoes, twowere rated
as Fujita Scale Zero tornadoes, the lowest
rating on the scale that goes from Zero
to 5. Fujita Scale Zero tornadoes have winds
up to approximately 115 kilometres per hour.
These tornadoes occurred in the Scarborough
area of Toronto, on June 23, and the Bark
Lake area south of Algonquin Park, on June
28. Both events were short-lived and did
no appreciable damage. The third event occurred
on July 18 in the Madoc area and was rated
as a Fujita Scale 1 tornado (peak winds
120 to 170 kilometres per hour). Some tree
and barn damage was reported with this event.
While historical information
indicates that we should expect to have
a Fujita Scale 2 tornado once each season,
this year represents the second year in
a row where none of the tornadoes attained
Fujita Scale 2 status (peak winds 180 to
250 kilometres per hour) or higher. The
last Fujita Scale 2 tornado occurred on
August 2, 2006 in the Combermere area near
Barry’s Bay.
The last Fujita
Scale 3 tornado (peak winds 260 to 330 kilometres
per hour) in Ontario occurred more than
10 years ago, in the Violet Hill area to
the north of Orangeville in April 1996.
The last Fujita Scale 4 (peak winds 340
to 420 kilometres per hour) tornadoes in
Ontario were the Grand Valley and Barrie
tornadoes of May 31, 1985.
