By battlefordsNOW

Four N.B. men handed $71K in fines for illegal outfitting

Jun 19, 2017 | 6:00 PM

A multi-year investigation into illegal outfitting has resulted in four North Battleford area men being fined a total of $71,000.

In October 2014, conservation officers encountered four individuals on a ranch in the Great Sand Hills, roughly 64 km northwest of Swift Current. Police determined the men had been guiding and outfitting two American clients in the area.

Saskatchewan conservation officers from Leader, Spiritwood, North Battleford and the ministry’s investigation unit then launched a multi-pronged investigation. The investigation, with assistance from American detachments, determined the four men were outfitting illegally and the mule deer buck had been shot illegally and exported to the U.S.

Last November, Charles Meechance, 59, pled guilty to unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawful hunting and providing false information. According to a release from the province, he was not only fined $10,920 but he was also issued a five-year court order which included the following: Not be in the company of anyone involved in any aspect of hunting other than on the lands of a First Nation in Saskatchewan or in the company of another treaty person hunting for subsistence; provide any details or other information as requested by the Ministry of Environment on all animals killed while outfitting; ensure all clients attend a Ministry of Environment office in person and swear an affidavit that all information and details of the hunt are true; obtain an export permit for every animal harvested by his or her client.

The other three individuals had trials in Leader Provincial Court on May 18, 2017.

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Gerald Meechance, 37, was found guilty of unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawfully aiding and abetting, providing false information and unlawfully falsifying and applying for and export permit. The charges landed him a fine of $33,800.

Neal Meechance, 43, and Steven Pritchard, 47, were found guilty of unlawfully acting as a guide, unlawfully aiding and abetting and providing false information. Neal Meechance was fined 15,820. Pritchard was fined $10,920.

The three were also issued a five-year court order with the same stipulations as Charles Meechance, plus another condition. The additional condition prohibits the three from being in a vehicle where there is an un-encased firearm, except on First Nation lands, or to be in the company of another treaty person hunting for subsistence. 

Greg.higgins@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @realgreghiggins