ATIKOKAN – A Thunder Bay man has been fined a total of $1,600 for violations within Quetico Provincial Park.
Victor Ischkin pleaded guilty and was fined $800 for operating a snowmobile in a wilderness-class provincial park and $800 for making a false statement to a conservation officer.
The court heard that on February 26, 2016, conservation officers were conducting a snowmobile patrol on the boundary of Quetico Provincial Park, approximately 30 kilometres southwest of Atikokan. They followed fresh snowmobile tracks on Soho Lake and the Soho Lake Portage trail leading to a private cabin just outside of the park. Officers contacted residents of the cabin, who claimed that they had not left their cabin all day. Further investigation revealed that Ischkin had operated his snowmobile in Quetico Park on that day.
Justice of the Peace Pat Clysdale-Cornell heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Atikokan, on May 26, 2016.
Quetico Provincial Park is a wilderness park where the use of snowmobiles is prohibited.
To report a natural resources violation, call the MNRF TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 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).
