Man fined staggering $100,000 for serious violation of public land law: 'Restricted area orders mandate permits'

A Canadian man is paying dearly after running afoul of laws designed to protect lake trout.

Robert Platford of Clearwater Bay will pay a $100,000 fine for a violation of the Public Lands Act, according to CTV News. Platford had a proper work permit to build a new cottage in May 2020 but failed to take down his old cottage as required by the law.

The area near the Manitoba border is regulated by a 20% development limit. Leaving the old cottage up led to Platford exceeding the limit, and the old cottage has since been destroyed.

The Public Lands Act is in place to protect fisheries and wetlands, which can help ensure the survival of threatened fish like the lake trout.

"Restricted area orders mandate permits for construction on both public and private lands to prevent ecological harm," the Ministry of Natural Resources stated in a bulletin.

Lake trout face increasing threats, including loss of habitat, as in this case, and invasive species like rainbow smelt in Canada. The invading rainbow smelt are linked to heart problems and thiamine deficiency in Northern Ontario lake trout, and are dramatically shrinking the size of the fish.

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Another potential danger is toxic forever chemicals that lake trout are ingesting in Lake Huron.

Fortunately, there is some positive news for lake trout in North America. Numbers of the fish in Vermont and New York's Lake Champlain have risen so much that artificially boosting the species is no longer necessary. Minnesota's Lake Superior has seen a similar resurgence that has led researchers to stock other lakes in the state with them.

Still, to make these changes stick, proper enforcement of permits and laws is a necessary measure as rogue builders continually look to evade restrictions on illegal dumping and construction.

Ideally, the $100,000 fine Platford will pay will make the next person considering an illegal act think twice before doing so. The Ministry of Natural Resources restated its commitment to preserving lake trout in its bulletin.