R³ – Respecting, Recreating & Racing in Alberta’s Lands.
Motocross Club and Director Convicted in Fisheries Offense from 2014 Event.
R³ – Respecting, Recreating & Racing in Alberta’s Lands.
– Motocross Club and Director Convicted in Fisheries Offense from 2014 Event.
This article was written on behalf of the Brooks Motocross Club by DirtBikeNews.ca and is being published in compliance with the Order Issued by the Provincial Court of Alberta. Images were added by DBNEWS.
Putting races on is tough work across Alberta, Canada and North America in general. Events can take many months and even years to successfully run with the vision race directors & course masters have, some may be more more technical and demanding than others.
With that being said, many guidelines, laws, rules & protection acts MUST be identified and respected prior to and during any off-road event, or any event for that matter which puts people and machines on our lands.
Anything and everything that could negatively impact land, watercourses and wildlife at any point in time must be identified, planned and mitigated prior to and after any event to preserve our lands, watercourses, and wildlife for the future.
This is Canada after all!
There are key things to remember when using our lands and watercourse, both private and public,
be it on Crown land, in a provincial park, PLUZ, FLUZ or any other land use area with a fun acronym. There are MULTIPLE land use acts and laws regarding watercourses that any user should abide by, including while riding OHV’s. More Acts may be implemented at a further date, so make sure to check with your Lands officers and/or provincial Fish & Wildlife Officers and the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans prior to any planning of your adventure.
Having a provincial permit to run an event may not be sufficient. There are multiple federal Acts/laws you must abide by, much unknown to most anyone reading right now. Just like turning left in your car, Don’t Know? Don’t go.
It’s not enough to say you “didn’t know” the proper laws. You have a legal obligation to do your due diligence. You must seek out what you need to do to be legally compliant, and you must be diligent in your compliance.
Some of the government information to be aware of and Acts to follow are, But not limited to:
- Alberta Land Stewardship Act
- Public Land Use Zones
- Forest Recreation Regulations
- Fisheries Acts
- SARA (Species at Risk Act)
- Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
If you are unsure about running an event or even riding in your area and what it entails, contact your local Lands and/or Fish and Wildlife Office. Riding through a stream or creek could damage terrain, harm fish and offend provincial laws, as well as the federal Fisheries Act & SARA which protect ALL life stages of fish, especially species at risk.
Join as many clubs as possible, they help create trail systems that end up on public maps for many to enjoy and inform users as to how to recreate responsibly.
Alberta Local Clubs Create Trail systems and Bridges.
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Mοtοcross Club and Director Charged in Fisheries Offense from 2013 Event.
In 2019 The Brοοks Mοtοcross Club (BMC) and its Officer were fined for offences for a 2014 event in which a Court ruling found the organizer failed to comply with these acts detailed below:
● Charges were laid pursuant to s35(1) of the Fisheries Act, RSC 1985, c F-14
and s32(1) of the Species At Risk Act, SC 2002, c-29
●The Brooks Motocross Club was Fined $30,000.00 And $15,000.00 for
each of the respective offences
●An Officer of the Club was fined personally in the amounts of $20,000.00 and
$5,000.00 for each of the respective offences
●These convictions were a result of harm to and the daeth of fish, including a
threatened species of fish, in Contravention of the Acts
The judgments of the Court respecting the parties can be found:
● Conviction : 2018 ABPC 296 (Canll)
●Sentencing: 2019 ABPC 149
A NEW ERA
Much has changed since 2014 in the way events and races are planned. From the ground up,
technology has allowed for hydrology, terrain, and real-time information to become available on the ground when planning and mitigating race events. GPS Satellites give us birds’ eye views and terrain maps available straight to our phones giving anyone the information they need immediately when planning our events or riding offroad.
More to follow on what it takes to plan out an event and what to look out for.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Contact Fisheries and Oceans – https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/contact/regions/index-eng.html
Canadian Legal information Institute – https://www.canlii.org/
This article was written on behalf of the Brοοks Motocross Club by DirtBikeNews.ca and is being published in compliance with the Order Issued by the Provincial Court of Alberta. VIEW PDF R³ – Respecting, Recreating & Racing in Alberta’s Lands. DBNEWS added images after.
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