The MNR laid a successful charge against a man who unlawfully deposited structures on public lands, including water bodies covering public lands.
Pierre Robin of Cochrane pleaded guilty to unlawfully putting a houseboat on water covering public lands north of the town of Cochrane. Robin was fined $1,500 and ordered by the court to remove the structure and all related materials.
The court heard that on October 23, 2023, conservation officers discovered a floating accommodation while conducting a marine patrol on the Abitibi River. The officers determined the floating accommodation belonged to Pierre Robin and that the structure had been at the location for three years, including over the winter months when it would freeze in place.
Regulated by the Public Lands Act, floating accommodations cannot be placed or used on public lands covered by water.
Justice of the Peace Jean-Marie Blier heard the case remotely in the Ontario Court of Justice, Cochrane, on June 4, 2024.
