A Chatham-Kent man has been hit with a significant fine by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, for an incident that took place back in 2015.
The provincial government says its safeguarding biodiversity by enforcing habitat protection for species protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Jean Marie Laprise, of Chatham-Kent, pleaded guilty to damaging the habitat of three endangered species back in December and was ordered to pay $200,000 to Ducks Unlimited Canada.
The court heard that in or around January 2015, Laprise, the owner of a wetland, constructed a dike system which removed approximately three acres of marsh habitat and created additional partitions within the marsh.
The property, bordering the shoreline of Lake St. Clair, consists of approximately 300 acres of wetland and provides essential habitat for threatened and endangered species.
The work undertaken impacted the endangered Spotted Turtle and Blanding’s Turtle and Least Bittern, according to the MNRF, which are both listed as threatened.
Due to the circumstances surrounding this matter, the MNRF says a multi-year investigation was required.
Charges were laid in June 2018, and Justice of the Peace Peter M. Byskal heard the case in Chatham court over multiple dates.
The case was decided on December 7, 2022.