ATIKOKAN — The owner of a lodge northwest of Atikokan has been fined a total of $13,000 for failing to comply with regulations that govern moose tourism operators.
According to an Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) news release, the case dates back to October 2022 when conservation officers discovered that a Thunder Bay man, Curtis Fabischek, had shot a moose without a valid moose licence.
Through further investigation, it was learned that David Boileau — the owner of Blue Lantern Lodge — issued an adult cow moose validation tag to Fabischek and failed to keep records of him and other registered guests staying at the lodge.
The ministry said the lodge operator failed to retain the records for the required period of three years, and unlawfully obtained a licence by failing to notify the ministry of his change in residency, leading to him possessing a moose licence that was void.
A Justice of the Peace heard the case in the court in Fort Frances earlier this year.
She fined Boileau a total of $13,000 after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining a licence for which the holder is no longer eligible because he did not meet the requirements of an Ontario resident under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, possessing a licence that was void, and failing to keep registered guest forms.
Fabischek was fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to hunting without a licence.
