Man who illegally excavated dinosaur footprints in Northern B.C. sentenced to 25 days in jail
An Alberta man who dug up fossilized dinosaur footprints from a protected site in Northern B.C. has been sentenced to 25 days in jail and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
In a decision handed down earlier this month, a provincial court judge described the damage done to the Six Peaks Dinosaur Track Site near Hudson’s Hope when Bennward Ingram, along with three others, vandalized the site in 2020.
“Surveillance photos and witnesses reported four men driving in two vehicles and using power tools to remove individual tracks from the site over a period of at least two-and-a-half hours, the court heard.
“Large slabs of fossil tracks were either removed, or were damaged by being broken up, and were possibly destroyed. The power tools used included a portable generator, air compressor and air chisel, and heavy-duty hand tools including sledgehammers and pry bars. Mr. Ingram was observed using a sledgehammer and pry bar and other excavation tools.”
The men, the court heard, stopped what they were doing and fled when witnesses arrived. The fossilized footprints have never been recovered.
Ingram was charged under the province’s Land Act and pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully excavating on Crown land. The site was designated as protected in 2016.
THE SIX PEAKS DINOSAUR TRACK SITE
Judge Darin Reeves’ sentencing decision describes the site as one of the most important in North America, with preliminary studies revealing more than 500 dinosaur footprints.
“These tracks represent diverse dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous epoch who walked on sandy ground approximately 125 to 113 million years ago, following which their tracks were fossilized,” the decision says.
Further, the site contained 56 separate “trackways,” which the judge explained can give researchers unique insight into how the dinosaurs lived and behaved.
“Damaging and removing an individual footprint not only destroys that footprint for its scientific value, it also disturbs the integrity of the remaining tracks and landscape and the series of tracks of which it was part,” Reeves said.
In addition to the damage done by removing the footprints, the court found the “illegal excavation” will ultimately accelerate erosion, continuing to cause damage in the future.
“A significant degree of scientific information has been lost and will continue to be lost,” Reeves said.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT ON FIRST NATION
The court decision notes that the site is on the traditional territory of the Saulteau First Nations, which submitted a community impact statement to the court. The destruction of the site, the court heard, undermined its safety and sovereignty.
“Several additional First Nations cultural locations are found close to the (site) and community members are now fearful that additional acts of vandalism may occur in these otherwise remote and culturally important areas,” the court heard.
The potential of the site as a destination for researchers and eco-tourists was diminished by the damage done which the court noted would also have an impact on the Saulteau First Nations’ plans for the area.
“Their traditional territory has been damaged, a source of cultural reflection has been interfered with and along with the rest of B.C., a potential source of economic development has been harmed,” Reeves said.
THE SENTENCE
Crown counsel was asking for a sentence of 30 to 35 days in jail, a $20,000 fine and a victim of crime surcharge. Defense was asking for a suspended sentence with 120 hours of community service and a fine of $15,000.
In weighing a fit sentence the judge outlined several aggravating factors, including the extent of the damage done which he described as ‘significant” and “permanent.” The judge also described the offence as one that required “planning and preparation.”
Mitigating factors included Ingram’s guilty plea, lack of any criminal record, and his remorse.
“Mr. Ingram frankly admitted to the court he had no excuse for his actions, that he did not appreciate the importance of the site to the First Nations or science, and expressed deep remorse for his actions and the damage he created,” Reeves said.
The need to deter similar acts in the future was another consideration.
“Sites like the SPDT are often in remote locations that are not easily monitored and rely on courts like this to impose sentences that will give pause to others who may seek to engage in the same behaviour,” Reeves’ decision concluded.
In addition to the jail sentence and the fine, Ingram was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of $4,500.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.