Grand Bend property owners face $115,000 in fines and costs

Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) says work done without a permit has cost some beach owners in Grand Bend pennies.

In addition to $100,000 in restitution costs, the three people face $15,000 in fines after a sentencing hearing in September.

The fines were issued after property owners in Grand Bend began work along the Lake Huron shoreline where it was prohibited, and without approval from conservation officials.

According to the presiding judge, the defendants “…ignored a stop-work order and ordered their contractor to continue after being notified that the work was not up to specification and had to be stopped.”

The decision to go ahead with the work despite the cease and desist orders showed the owners’ “blatant disregard for the potential environmental impact”, the magistrate said.

“Most property owners and contractors contact the ABCA in advance to obtain the necessary permits, but in some cases prosecutions are necessary where work has been carried out without permits,” said ABCA Provincial Offenses Officer Daniel King.

He added that fines for performing work in violation of the rules can reach a million dollars.