Nunavut court: case alleging illegal turbot fishing to go ahead
Despite the length of time their case has sat before the Nunavut court, a subsidiary of the Baffin Fisheries Coalition, along with the captain of one of the company’s fishing vessels, will still stand trial for fishing in illegal waters. That’s according to a written decision, released Dec. 12, from Justice Bonnie Tulloch of the Nunavut Court of Justice. The trial of Oujukoaq Fisheries Ltd. and its employee, David Dempsey, has twice been scheduled to proceed in an Iqaluit courtroom, most recently from Dec. 5 to Dec. 9, 2016. The co-accused face a single charge each under the Fisheries Act, dating to 2012, that alleges illegal turbot fishing in a prohibited area. But an application from defence lawyers to dismiss those charges due to unreasonable delays, filed in October 2016, cancelled the most recent trial date. Now, in her decision, Tulloch rejected that application and said the trial should be rescheduled as soon as possible. “It is a case with far-reaching implications for commercial fishermen in Canada. It is a case that deserves to be decided on its merit,” Tulloch said. Read the story here 11:39
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