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A spokesperson for the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation calls the province’s proposed Invasive Species Act “encouraging,” but adds there are still some questions.
Outreach and Education Co-ordinator Karen Alexander points out there are over 1,000 invasive species in Ontario at this time, and the proposed act will only deal with a handful of them.
Alexander explains the act will create lists of ‘moderate’ and ‘significant risk’ invasive species, so the effect of the act will depend on the criteria used for screening and placing species on one of the two lists.
At this point there has also been very little discussion around funding to support the act. The federal government has says it will support the act through regulation, but will not provide funding.
Alexander says the cost of controlling Invasive Species like Phragmites along the Lake Huron shoreline continues to increase, so provincial funding would be helpful.
There will be a public consultation phase on the act sometime in February.
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Man fined for having loaded rifle on ATV in Sprucedale
Almaguin News
SPRUCEDALE – An Orangeville man has been fined $1,000 for an unsafe hunting offence.
Andrew Noseworthy pled guilty to having a loaded firearm on an all-terrain vehicle.
On Oct. 24, 2014, while investigating another matter, a conservation officer observed several hunters on all-terrain vehicles on the Axe Lake Road in Sprucedale. Upon seeing the officer, some members of the party quickly departed the area, heading in the opposite direction.
As a result of the suspicious behaviour, the officer carried out a compliance check. Noseworthy was found attempting to unload ammunition from his high-powered rifle while on his ATV. A background check revealed a previous conviction for the same offence. The rifle was seized and will be returned upon payment of the fine.
Justice of the Peace Pat Tennant heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Parry Sound, on Dec. 9, 2014.
Hunter safety is a priority in Ontario. The ministry reminds the public that firearms must be unloaded while in, or on any conveyance, which includes any vehicle, boat or aircraft.
For further information on hunting regulations, please consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summaryavailable at ontario.ca/hunting.
