A Kent Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee in 2012 has been fined $200,000 for damaging the habitat of three endangered species.
Jean Marie Laprise, 68, of Pain Court and owner of Laprise Farms, pleaded guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay $200,000 to Ducks Unlimited Canada, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The Ontario Court of Justice in Chatham recently heard that Laprise built a dike system on his wetland bordering the shore of Lake St. Clair in January of 2015, which removed approximately three acres of marsh habitat and created additional partitions within the marsh. The Ministry said the 300 acres of wetland provides essential habitat for threatened and endangered species and the dike system impacted the endangered Spotted Turtle along with Blanding’s Turtle and Least Bittern, which are both listed as threatened.
"The Ontario government is safeguarding biodiversity by enforcing habitat protection for species protected under the Endangered Species Act," wrote the Ministry in a statement on Friday.
Ministry officials said a multi-year investigation was required and charges were laid in June 2018.
The Laprises were the Host Family for the 2018 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, providing farmland required for the Tented City, RV Park, Tractor Park and the majority of the plowing land. They have also been heavily involved in agriculture for over 45 years, especially in the fresh and frozen vegetable production sector and the greenhouse vegetable transplant business.
Activities impacting species at risk and protected habitat can be reported by calling 1-866-MOE-TIPS (663-8477) or through the online reporting tool. Members of the public can also report sightings of endangered species to the Natural Heritage Information Centre or at iNaturalist.ca. To report other natural resource problems or to provide information about an unsolved case, the public can call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667. Citizens can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.