He is accused of having harassed or captured
an endangered turtle species.
The facts allegedly took place when he was mayor of Bracebridge, north of Barrie, The Canadian News has learned.
Graydon Smith, appointed to the post of Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry on Friday, was mayor of Bracebridge, Ont., for nearly 12 years before winning the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka for the Progressive Conservatives in the provincial election in June 2.
Mr. Smith is accused of having harassed or captured
Blanding’s turtles, designated by Ontario as an endangered species, and to have damaged or endangered the habitat of these turtles. The City of Bracebridge itself and two senior city officials also face identical charges.
The charges were made by a local resident. Last Tuesday, three days before Mr Smith was sworn in as minister, a justice of the peace signed the charges and ordered the case to be heard in court on September 21.
It is alleged that the City and its officials disturbed the turtles and damaged their habitat by carrying out earthworks between June and August 2021 on Peace Valley Road, approximately 15 kilometers northeast of downtown Bracebridge.
Michael Opara, the local resident who filed the complaint, says he and a few other people emailed and called city officials to warn them of a turtle nest along the road near a stream.
The City nevertheless went ahead with the work.
We’ve been trying to convince the City to listen to us for more than two years.
said Mr. Opara in an interview with CBC.
One of their solutions is to pave over 60 meters of the roadway including the turtle nesting areas and we got to a point where we had had enough and the charges were laid.
The Canadian News on Monday asked Mr. Smith and the Prime Minister’s Office to respond to the allegations. The only response came from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
The board [municipal de Bracebridge] heard the concerns raised and sought mitigation measures before proceeding with the project
said a ministry official in an email.
As this was a decision made by council, the municipality is in a better position to provide any further comments.
A lawyer for the Town of Bracebridge said Monday she is confident the charges will be dismissed.
The fact is, and the evidence will show, that the City acted diligently and appropriately in carrying out the required road works near the turtle habitat.
said Sarah Hahn, partner at the firm Barriston Law.
It is unfortunate that City resources must now be used to respond to these baseless accusations.
Hahn said in an email to The Canadian News.
David Donnelly, a Toronto environmental lawyer, says the justice of the peace’s decision last week to set a hearing date for the case lends legitimacy to the charge.
Essentially, there are sufficient grounds to proceed with a trial
said Donnelly, who has filed private lawsuits in the past but is not involved in the charges against Bracebridge.
It is the same selection process as for anything that the police might give to a prosecutor or that the Ministry of the Environment or any other ministry could take over
said Me Donnelly in an interview.
Michael Appleby, Chairman of South Bracebridge Environmental Protection Groupa three-year-old nonprofit, says residents of the Muskoka region are deeply concerned about species at risk.
If true, the City’s actions are very concerning, given that this was a situation that could have been so easily avoided.
Mr. Appleby said.
We are in favor of the City being held accountable, and we will follow the evolution of this case.
Mr. Smith won the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka by 2,114 votes in a race that stood out as the only riding in the province where a Green Party candidate came second.
With information from CBC’s Mike Crawley
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca