Manitoba convicts, pulls licences of hunting outfitters following Wildlife Act violations
Two Manitoba hunting outfitters have been fined thousands of dollars and lost their licences after a four-year investigation revealed numerous violations of the wildlife act.
Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development said it started on Sept. 27, 2019, when a hunter from Iowa was crossing back into the U.S. through the Pembina, North Dakota port of entry. Inspectors found two raw black bear hides, one had a game tag on it, but the other did not. Both hides were seized and the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service began its investigation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Environment Department and Environment and Climate Change Canada became involved. The investigation uncovered numerous violations of the Wildlife Act in Manitoba, as well as other infractions.
The joint investigation, called Operation Crossing Line, focused on two specific outfitting companies based near Grandview, Man. Investigators found that several American hunters using these outfitters had hunted black bears in the wrong Game Hunting Area (GHA). As well, officers determined that on five occasions, clients of the two outfitters illegally hunted a second bear.
Two American clients of the outfitters have been convicted of violations of the Lacey Act. The first case involved a hunter who tried to bring an illegally killed black bear into the U.S. The second hunter obtained another licence under a false name to hunt a second black bear.
The hunters were fined $7,500 and $5,000 fines, respectively. They both also received one year of unsupervised probation.
As well, a taxidermist was fined $730 for lying to investigators.
The owner of Royal Elk Outfitting has pleaded guilty to 15 counts of violating the Wildlife Act and was fined $10,000. The owner of South Park Outfitters pleaded guilty to 11 counts and received a $2,000 fine. Both operators have had their licences cancelled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.