NEWS ARCHIVE:
* No charges in Friday fishing fiasco. Conservation Officers to use their discretion. Published June 26, 2008..

* Fishing meeting successful say participants. Several action items as a result of public hearing. Published April 17, 2008..

* Fishing regulations meeting this Saturday. Minister Donna Cansfield (MNR) to attend. Published April 10, 2008..

* Public meeting to address illegal fishing issues Published March 6, 2008..

* Rights Commission claims racism behind angler attacks Published December 20, 2007..

* Debate of abuse of anglers continues Published October 18, 2007..

* Assaults put spotlight in simmering dispute with Asian-Canadian anglers Published October 4, 2007..

* Illegal fishing debate heats up after recent sightings Published April 27, 2006.

* Association believes organized group behind Illegal fishing Published Oct. 20, 2005.

No charges in Friday fishing fiasco
Conservation Officers to use their discretion
Published June 26, 2008..

By Marco Smits
The Review-Mirror

wo Asian Canadian fishermen were caught fishing without a licence and taking bass out of season in Westport on Friday. No charges were laid.

"My understanding is that they were possibly new to Ontario, certainly new to fishing and just were not aware of the regulations at all," said Steve Aubrey, enforcement supervisor for the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in Kemptville.

"We certainly have the discretion on how to deal with the regulations and the officer used the occasion to educate them, walk them through the regulations and the rules they have to abide by and sent them on their way with a warning," Aubrey said. "The fish that were taken out of season were dead when seized and could obviously not be released. The officer will take the proper protocol in giving them away," Aubrey said.

At least three people claim to have told the anglers that fishing for and taking these bass was illegal (bass fishing season opens this weekend) and could result in a serious fine. Several calls were made to the MNR TIPS-line.

The Ontario Provincial Police was called and secured the scene until a conservation officer arrived more than three hours after the original call.

Aubrey said a $200 'out-of-court-settlement-fine' could have been given to both anglers for taking out of season fish and the fine for fishing without a licence is $125. He also said it was unusual for the conservation officer to arrive at the scene so soon after the MNR TIPS-line was called.

"We encourage people to make use of the tips line but given the logistics, we do not provide emergency response. In our jurisdiction, we are running 10 to 12 officers, there are probably 2000 or more police officers. It is just unrealistic to even anticipate emergency response time," Aubrey said.

Tim Spence speaks for the Rideau Lakes OPP. He dispatched an officer to the scene on Friday. oContinued from page 1 "I don't understand that (no charges were laid)," said Spence. "I don't know all the circumstances but in my mind if the fish are out of season -no matter that this was a contentious issue in that area before- it probably should have been dealt with," Spence said.

Roger Norris of Norris's Bait and Tackle agrees. "What kind of message does that send?," Norris wonders. "Not to charge them after they were asked to throw the fish back. They didn't, they killed the fish and they were fishing out of season and they had the evidence. Charge them, I don't care who you are. If I was doing the same thing I would be expecting to be charged because it is the law. There is no excuse for them not to be charged," said Norris.

MNR Minister Donna Cansfield said, "I think that intent is a huge issue and I don't think there was intent to break the law. I believe these people live in the area and my understanding is that the officer did not lay charges because the bass season opens this Friday and the people who filed the complaint were in fact satisfied and did not insist on pressing charges." "I put my faith in the investigative officer," said Cansfield.

Fishing meeting successful say participants
Several action items as result of public hearing
Published April 17, 2008..

By Marco Smits
The Review-Mirror


More than 160 people attended the public meeting addressing concerns about fishing regulations, poaching and enforcement at Rideau Vista Public School in Westport on Saturday.

In the jam packed gym, dozens of concerned citizens got to fire question upon question at Donna Cansfield, the Minister of Natural Resources, Jeroen Meinen of the OPP, Raymond Zee of the Ontario Chinese Anglers Association and Charlie Jones of the Westport Area Outdoors Association who were invited by hosts Bill Thake mayor of Westport and Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman.

"I was very pleased with the meeting," said Runciman on Tuesday after having the chance to reflect on its outcome. "I think it went as well as could be expected. People conducted themselves quite well and the frustrations were apparent to the minister and others. It was a learning experience for everyone," said Runciman.

"Some of the folks, I really appreciated their comments. There was a whole host of personal experiences that people outlined that were very persuasive in terms of convincing anyone -unless they had earplugs in- that there is a real problem of enforcement," said Runciman.

During the meeting minister Cansfield encouraged residents to take pictures of possible perpetrators and report licence plates. However, others in attendance pointed out that addressing midnight fishermen operating in groups can be a daunting task and Cansfield confirmed that moving one step further Ðchecking buckets for illegal catch- is not allowed.

As a result, Runciman is particularly interested in an idea brought forward on Saturday to put a volunteer service in place to assist the current MNR enforcement officers.

"What I am going to push with her is, Ôwhy not do a pilot?Õ. LetÕs provide training for four or five volunteers and do a pilot in Leeds and Grenville. What better area that here to try it in?," said Runciman.

But, if a pilot project of any kind can be put in place in time to stop potential spring poaching remains to be seen. "I agree the government is notoriously slow once things get trapped in the bureaucracy. What you really need is a minister committed to a particular direction pushing vigorously and telling the bureaucrats, Ôthis is what I want done and this is the time line I want to be followedÕ," said Runciman.

Westport Mayor Bill Thake was also pleased with the way the meeting unfolded. Thake agrees that an auxiliary group might be of interest but he is somewhat concerned about the possible legal ratifications for villagers who participate. During SaturdayÕs forum Thake requested follow up on a few other items.

"When I found out that none of the conservation officers were sent out up here to look into the complaints at the time the complaints were made I asked the minister to conduct an investigation into the management of the Kemptville office," said Thake. "I donÕt blame the conservation officers at all, they can only follow the orders given from those above them, but I like to know how the upper management is delegating the work," Thake said.

Several people in the crowd seemed to be under the impression that the MNR TIPS line Ðintroduced in September of 2005- was meant as a means of direct response but that appears too be a misconception. Conservation officer are not immediately dispatched as a result of a call.

At the end of the meeting, the Westport and Area Outdoors Association invited Raymond Zee and others of the Chinese fishing community to join them in the upcoming weeks for an evening at the walleye fish hatchery in Westport. Without setting a firm date, both parties agreed that another gathering, in a less formal setting would continue to improve relationships between the various groups. Charlie Jones of the WAOA was also hopeful after Saturday. "Everyone was saying enforcement, enforcement, enforcement and that is what I wanted to get across. That is what is needed and that is what will happen. I hope so anyway," said Jones.

Fishing regulations meeting this Saturday. Minister Donna Cansfield (MNR) to attend
Published April 10, 2008

By Marco Smits
The Review-Mirror


One hundred chairs will be set up in the Rideau Vista School gym on Saturday and organizers expect that will still leave some people standing during the public meeting to address concerns about fishing regulations, illegal fishing and enforcement.

Westport mayor Bill Thake and Leeds and Grenville MPP Bob Runciman will be hosting the meeting. Donna Cansfield, the Minister of Natural Resources will attend along with several other key players of the MNR, including representatives from the Kemptville office, which is the section of the MNR responsible for enforcing regulations in Westport and the Rideau Lakes.

Some members from the Asian Canadian fishing community are also expected to attend, as will members of the Ontario Provincial Police. On March 11, Mayor Thake received a visit from Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Hall had earlier made remarks stating that, "these incidents are about racism, not about enforcing fishing regulations".

"(Hall) said that she didnÕt mean to imply that Westport was racist and that unfortunately it was included in the statement about the Kawartha Lakes, where there were a couple people picked up and convicted of assault. She felt that the assaults were due to racism. Unfortunately she had to name Westport in that," said Thake.

Concerned residents of Westport and the Rideau Lakes have been notifying authorities for several years about Asian-Canadian fishermen reportedly fishing in sanctuaries, and fishing out of season. "If (the upcoming meeting) goes perfect, they would certainly clarify the point that Westport is not racist and that the main cause of the problems is the fact that the people poach. They never want to use the word poaching they want to use other words and I donÕt believe in that," said Thake.

Meanwhile, the OPP continues their investigation into the two alleged assaults that took place on September 18 and 28, 2007. The OPP also met with Thake to provide him with the latest information. "We have not arrested anybody and no charges have been laid at this point. There are always persons of interest but at this point in time there is not enough information to proceed, but we are hoping that will change," said OPP sergeant Kristine Rae.

"You have to understand that we have open assault (charges) and from what we understand there may be people in the community who know who has done this. You have to think that a man in his 70s was hit and thrown over a bridge. That is not right, no matter what has happened. And in this specific incident, from the information we have, they were fishing within their right to do so," said Rae.

"This meeting, with our participation, we are hoping that there will be better communication and understanding, so that when people have a concern they call the police, call the MNR and let us deal with the situation and investigate it and we will do what is necessary. We need that opportunity," Rae said. Charlie Jones will speak for the Westport Area Outdoors Association (WAOA).

"I hope we can get by the finger pointing so we can get this thing fixed. We canÕt keep on having the sanctuaries hammered like this or we will have nothing left. Rural Ontario runs by tourism and the fisheries run tourism," Jones said. "Two years ago when I was more involved it was the same 25 or 30 guys (poaching) every time. And I told both the police and the MNR when we had our meetings then that it almost looked as if it was a ring working. It is just going to get bigger if we donÕt stop it. We have to get enforcement," Jones said.

"I almost threw up my hands and quit the outdoors association over this, but then I thought,Õ why let them win?Õ" The public meeting will take place on Saturday, April 12 from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Rideau Vista Public School in Westport.

Public meeting to address illegal fishing issues
Published March 6, 2008..

By Marco Smits
The Review-Mirror

Westport mayor Bill Thake and Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman will co-host a public meeting in April to address concerns about fishing regulations, illegal fishing and enforcement. "We wanted to do something before the fishing season got well underway so I mentioned the idea when I met with the OPP a couple of weeks ago and they were very enthusiastic," said Runciman in an interview with The Review-Mirror on Tuesday.

Concerned residents of Westport and the Rideau Lakes have been notifying authorities for several years about Asian-Canadian fishermen reportedly fishing in sanctuaries, and fishing out of season. Last year, after two alleged assaults on Asian-Canadian fishermen in Westport, the situation was compared by some to occurrences around Lake Simcoe, where fishermen have been pushed into the water for no other apparent reason than their ethnicity.

After coverage of the events in several daily newspapers, Human Rights Commissioner Barbara Hall commented that, "we should not confuse the issue: these incidents are about racism, not about enforcing fishing regulations". "My response to that was, 'tough beans'," said Runciman.

"I thought it was a knee jerk response and to my knowledge her people have yet not been in the area. They are looking at it from a very narrow perspective, there is a whole range of issues that should be talked about and looked at," he said. "What happens north of Toronto doesn't necessarily have any relevance in our area. I don't think you can approach this with a wide brush. Hopefully the human rights commission will take note of this meeting as well," Runciman said.

At the time a public meeting was held in the Lake Simcoe area with representatives from all parties involved. In Westport, Thake and Runciman are intending to invite members of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), OPP, Westport and Area Outdoors Association and the Ontario Chinese Anglers Association (OCAA) to the meeting. It will be the first time in Westport that residents will be offered the opportunity to have an organized meeting with OCAA members.

"I think it is critical that we have them there and that we try to arrange our schedules to meet theirs because that's where the alleged conflict or misunderstandings have occurred. So I think we can't go forward with the meeting unless we have somebody representing those fishermen," said Runciman.

In December, Westport, in an attempt to deter poachers, passed a bylaw that made it illegal to fish from county roads or bridges in the village from dusk until dawn. Thake and Runciman intend to release a final meeting date by the end of March.

Rights Commission claims racism behind angler attacks

Published December 20, 2007..
By Marco Smits

A bylaw, initially meant to deter poachers from fishing at night in Westport and the Rideau Lakes, has been adopted by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. As of Dec. 12, it is illegal to fish from any United Counties road or bridge from dusk until dawn.

"If the OPP are called and they come they can charge poachers with trespassing and they can ask for additional information. It will certainly help that way against poaching," said Village of Westport mayor Bill Thake. "It will also act as a safety factor, where there are kids fishing on a county bridge around dark Ðsome of these bridges are not that wide- that is a safety factor," Thake said.

Concerned residents of Westport and the Rideau Lakes have been notifying authorities for several years about Asian-Canadian fishermen reportedly fishing in regional sanctuaries and taking out of season, undersized and over quota fish, and have expressed frustration with the lack of enforcement.

The new bylaw was passed just before Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, released the preliminary findings of an inquiry into alleged assaults on Asian-Canadian fishermen in southern and central Ontario on Friday, including Westport.

That inquiry was launched Nov. 2 in partnership with the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and invited individuals who had either encountered or witnessed incidents while fishing to share their experiences by way of a telephone hotline or an online survey.

More than 30 accounts revealed experiences of racial harassment, ranging from verbal assaults, the destruction of fishing equipment and stone throwing.

One of the findings outlined in the preliminary report specifically addresses the issue of the conservation and protection of fish stock, a concern shared by the communities of Westport and the Rideau Lakes. "A number of submissions raised concerns about conservation and protection of fish stocks. Conservation and protection of Ontario's fisheries are not only important in environmental terms, they are also vital to the livelihoods of many Ontarians," states the report.

"While these are important objectives, it is disturbing that many submissions raising conservation concerns showed the very kind of stereotyping and name-calling that the Commission is fighting against," the report continued. "It is also of concern when Asian Canadian anglers are viewed as outsiders in relatively homogeneous communities and assumed to be breaking the laws. Stereotyping any one community by assuming that certain people are more likely to commit illegal activity is not only wrong, it's against the law," stated Hall in a press release regarding the inquiry.

"In a society as diverse as ours, we need to learn about each other, from each other and how we can work together to fight racism, discrimination and harassment whenever and wherever it occurs," she said.

The report also outlines the profound impacts of the incidents on the individuals involved, their friends and families, and the Asian Canadian community as a whole. Anglers who contacted the inquiry, also expressed a sense of helplessness or fear of reprisal in reporting incidents to authorities.

Mayor Thake already received a more extensive version of the report. He said that, although he has not read the entire document, he is of the understanding that Westport is only mentioned in it once, leaving him with a sense of frustration as to the village being lumped into the situation. "They have already tarred us with a brush. It is like a kangaroo court, you are found guilty by word of mouth. I guess there were some attacks and physical combat but we have no proof of that happening here in Westport, and if there was it was of a very minor nature," Thake said.

Thake expressed surprise that the report states that a 73- year-old man was beaten unconscious in Westport while he says there is absolutely no proof of it. And, he says, he will try to find out how much money the inquiry has cost. "If that same amount of money would have been given to the MNR we could have had some more enforcement. IÕd like to know how much that inquiry cost in taxpayers dollars," he said.

The findings of the Human Rights Commission comes on the heels of the annual report of the Ontario Auditor General Jim McCarter delivered to the Ontario Legislature in Toronto last week. In his report, McCarter confirms that the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is allowing excessive hunting and fishing because of a lack of funding, going as far as concluding that some species could be at risk because of the poor state of enforcement.

Debate of abuse of anglers continues

Published October 18, 2007..
By Marco Smits.

In a letter to the editor, Barbara Hall, Chair of the Ontario Human Rights Commission says the recent attacks on Asian-Canadian anglers in Westport are strictly a racist issue.

"Some reports on angler attacks have raised the question of poaching. We should not confuse the issue: these incidents are about racism, not about enforcing fishing regulations. If there are legitimate concerns, there are proper means to deal with them, like the Ministry of Natural Resources and the police," Hall wrote in her letter, published in the Review-Mirror's opinion section this week.