HUNTSVILLE - A Huntsville man has been fined $5,000 for building a road on Crown land without a permit.
Between January and March 2010 Robert K. Earl had built a logging road east of Baysville on Highway 117, near Emerson Road, to access private land.
Earl was fined $2,000 for constructing a road on Crown land and $1,000 each for three additional offences — excavating aggregate from Crown land without a permit, excavating aggregate from private land without a licence, and constructing dams on water crossings without authorizations.
He was also placed on probation for 18 months and ordered to rehabilitate the disturbed areas, according to the terms of a work permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
While the logging road Earl built was on Crown land in McLean Ward, Township of Lake of Bays, he extracted the material used to build the road from a number of sites. Some of the road-building material was pushed into watercourses to create crossings.
Earl also illegally constructed a bridge across a major creek. All of the work was done without any of the required permits or authorizations.
The matter was brought to Justice of the Peace Sue Evans on May 15 in the Ontario Court of Justice, Bracebridge.
The ministry wants to remind the public that it is an offence to construct roads on Crown land, to install water crossings or to extract aggregate from Crown or private lands without permits or licences.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).