Road ‘unlawfully’ built across Crown land in Goulais River, court hears

MNR conservation officer Ron Arnold talks about a resident of Goulais River, north of Sault Ste. Marie Ont., being fined for unlawfully building a road.

A Goulais River resident has been found guilty of unlawfully constructing a road on Crown land, north of Sault Ste. Marie, without a permit.

Billie Childs was fined $3,000 and ordered to “rehabilitate” the site to its “natural state.”

“The Ontario government is safeguarding public lands by ensuring people do not unlawfully construct roads on Crown land without a work permit,” said the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in a news release.

An Ontario court heard that an investigation was completed after the MNR received complaints about a road being constructed on Crown land in the vicinity of the Harmony Beach boat launch in spring 2023.

“It was determined that between May 1, 2023, and June 6, 2023, a road was constructed across Crown land connecting a piece of private property located on Harmony Beach Road to the Harmony Beach boat launch,” said the MNR.

“It was discovered that trees had been cut down, rocks had been removed, the land had been levelled and several truckloads of gravel had been deposited on Crown land to construct the road.”

The court was also informed that all work was completed without a work permit.

Justice of the Peace Sarah Keesmaat heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Sault Ste. Marie, on Oct. 9, 2024.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, call the ministry TIPS line toll free at 1-877-847-7667 or Crime Stoppers annoymously.

For more information about unsolved cases, click here.