Local man fined $3,200 following MNRF investigation

A Sault Ste. Marie man faces fines after pleading guilty to selling baitfish for commercial purposes without a licence, and failing to make an annual return or keep a logbook.

In total, Joshua Schill was fined $3,200 following a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry investigation which began in February of 2021.

Full text of a news release from the ministry follows:

The Ontario government is safeguarding Ontario’s biodiversity by ensuring commercial bait dealers and harvesters are licensed and in compliance with ministry regulations.

Joshua Schill of Sault Ste. Marie pleaded guilty to selling baitfish without a licence for commercial purposes and fined $2,000. Schill was fined an additional $1,200 for failing to make an annual return or keep a logbook.

The court heard that on Feb. 1, 2021, a conservation officer inspected commercial baitfish traps set through the ice on Furcate Lake, marked with Schill’s commercial baitfish licence number. Further investigation revealed he was selling baitfish out of his Thunder Bay-based business Wiggley Baits without a valid baitfish harvester and dealer licence, and that he failed to submit his mandatory annual return. A subsequent inspection of the Silver Minnow Bait Shop, also owned by Schill, revealed his baitfish logbook was not being maintained.

Justice of the Peace Nancy Tulloch heard the case remotely in the Ontario Court of Justice, Thunder Bay, on March 1, 2023.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, members of the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS. For more information about unsolved cases, please visit the website.