KENORA – Many people love the beauty of Ontario’s vast North. However an Iowa man has been fined a total of $10,000 for illegally obtaining Ontario hunting and fishing licences and for illegal hunting.
Steven Grupe of Bettendorf, Iowa, pleaded guilty to having a void Ontario Outdoors Card, making false statements on the application and hunting illegally.
The court heard that Grupe bought a hunting and fishing camp on Wabaskang Lake in 2004. He was allowed entry into Canada with a work permit, but his primary residence continued to be in Iowa. In 2005, Grupe obtained an Ontario Resident Outdoors Card and purchased resident hunting and fishing licences for the next four years. The difference in cost between resident and non-resident licences over four years was $3,652.
Justice of the Peace Robert McNally heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Kenora, on June 8, 2010.
To obtain an Ontario resident hunting and fishing licence, your primary residence must be in Ontario, and you must have lived in Ontario for six consecutive months during the previous 12 months.
To report a natural resources violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)