Two men pleaded guilty and have been fined a total of $14,000 for hunting licence fraud.
Theodore Peters of Prince Edward Island and Charles Williamson of Keswick were each fined $1,000 for making a false statement in an application for a licence; $3,500 for unlawfully using an Outdoors Card to obtain resident moose tags and a three-year resident small game licence; $1,500 for hunting big game without a licence; and $1,000 for using a void licence. Peters and Williamson also had their hunting licences suspended for five years.
Court heard that between April 13, 2013, and October 11, 2015, Peters was not a resident of Ontario but fraudulently maintained a resident Outdoors Card by using his previous address in Keswick.
With the assistance of Prince Edward Island conservation officers and the Ontario Provincial Police, it was determined that Peters had been a resident of Prince Edward Island since 2009. During the time that he was no longer a resident of Ontario, Peters failed to change his address with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and was purchasing resident moose and small game licences with the help of Williamson, who still resided in Ontario.
Justice of the Peace Peter Hiscox heard the first part of the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Peterborough, on May 12, 2016, and Justice of the Peace Bernard Caron heard the second half of the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Marathon, on May 17, 2016.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary available at ontario.ca/hunting.
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).
