Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources release
NIPIGON, Ont. -- A Lake Helen man has been fined and given a probation order under the Forest Fire Prevention Act.
Arden Fawcett pleaded guilty and was fined $600 for burning grass without a permit. He was also given a two-year probation order prohibiting him from starting a fire at his camp or at the public access point of Steamboat Bay in Lake Helen.
Court heard that on May 14, 2017, Fawcett started a fire to burn grass in the vicinity of his camp and then left the site. When the fire spread, other campers at the site tried unsuccessfully to put the fire out and ended up calling 911. A Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire crew responded and extinguished the fire.
Justice of the Peace Bruce Leaman heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Nipigon, on August 20, 2018.
The ministry reminds the public that a fire permit is needed in northern Ontario to burn grass outside during the fire season, unless certain conditions are met. A person who doesn’t burn safely, or burns material without a permit when one is needed, can be fined and held responsible for the cost of putting out the fire and for any property damage.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 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). And visit Ontario.ca/mnrftips to view an interactive, searchable map of unsolved cases. You may be able to provide information that will help solve a case.
