Frank and Lynn Wepruk get frustrated when they hear the hum of a group of boats full of people going fishing, who will cross into Canada, fish, and then return south of the border.
The Wepruks own The Fisheries Resort, on Rainy Lake, near Fort Frances, Ont. Rainy Lake is mainly situated in Canada, but some of the lake adjoins Minnesota.
“You can tell when it’s a fleet of guide boats going by,” said Lynn, noting the boats that originate from Minnesota are grouped together, sometimes with as many as eight boats together.
There can be four or five people in each boat, she said, “so, when you start doing the arithmetic, on how many fish they could be potentially pulling out of our lake in one day, it could be 100 fish per boat.”
Wepruk said that figure is based on using catch-and-release methods of fishing, which, although the fish may not end up on a dinner plate, there’s a good chance it will die after being hauled up from a depth of 50 feet of water, she said.
Canadian outfitters near Fort Frances, Ont., are concerned over rules which allow Americans to fish in Canadian waters, without clearing customs. (Gord Ellis/CBC)
The pressure on the lake’s north arm is immense, Frank said, who noted the fishing on the Minnesota side of the lake is poor, hence why American-based guides are now driving 25 kilometres or more, to bring US clients to fishing spots.
“What we’re finding now, especially in the fall, when the crappies are biting, we’ll see eight to 10 U.S. guide boats in a row, going up, fishing, and then going home later in the day. Some of them do two trips a day,” he said.
U.S. citizens are normally allowed to go into Canadian waters, without clearing customs, if the boat they are in does not anchor, moor or make landfall in Canada. They can also return to the U.S. without informing customs on the way out.
Wepruk said her resort is especially quiet this year, as most of their clients cannot come into Canada because of COVID-19 restrictions. Instead, those same clients are staying in Minnesota, spending all of their money at US-based lodges, she said, but still fishing in Canadian waters.
The province collects just over $23 for a day license for a non-resident.
Canada Border Services told CBC News no U.S. citizens should be entering Canada for discretionary purposes, which includes fishing and sightseeing. However, patrolling waterways, such as Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods in northwestern Ontario falls to the RCMP.
The RCMP closed its Fort Frances detachment in 1998.
Fishing guides who work on the Canadian side of the lake are seeing their livelihoods evaporate, said Scott Hamilton, who operates Jackfish Hammy’s Guide Service.
“They’re running up into Canadian waters, and fishing Canadian waters.” he said, noting he would usually get 60 days of guiding work per season.
This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Hamilton has had no income.
“When people are leaving, and they’ve got guides that are taking them up into Canadian waters, making money on our resources.”
Hamilton said he has conservation concerns with Americans fishing extensively on the Canadian side. He said 25 years ago, there were few walleye, the prized species of Rainy Lake to be found.
Low catch limits allowed the population to rebound in the North Arm and in a number of other bays, he said, but that has not been the case on the Minnesota side. Hamilton said he wants to see the population continue to flourish on the Ontario side.
Hamilton said while he hopes most of the COVID-19 travel restrictions will be over next summer, he does have concerns going forward.
His usual clients, many of whom come from the far southern states such as Texas and Florida, may not travel back to a Canadian resort, after being able to get a similar experience and never clearing customs.
“They travel a long, long way to come and have the Canadian experience on Rainy Lake. They stay up at a resort on the North Arm, they cross the border, they do everything they’re supposed to do, we get out fishing, and there’s 15 guide boats from Minnesota on the same bay.”
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
