Owner of lake Nipissing scrap pile charged. MNR to quickly clean up mess

Floating structure leads to convictions and avenue for removal.

The owner of the infamous scrap pile floating on lake Nipissing for over a year was convicted last week. The news was delivered by Lavigne councillor Georges Pharand on social media yesterday. Since being appointed earlier this year, Pharand has made addressing this issue one of his priorities and has followed the case closely.

He noted that on September 26th at the North Bay Provincial Offences Court, Ben Lindsay was convicted of two offences under section 27(1) of the Public Lands Act 1990. He was fined $5,000 for the offence of depositing material, substances or things on public lands and another $5,000 for the offence of depositing material, substances or things on water. Lindsay was also banned from camping on Crown Land anywhere in Ontario for a period of five years.

Pharand added that he has been in contact with the MNR district office and he is confident that with this conviction, they will be able to clean up the mess before winter sets in.

Barge “project” first appeared in 2023

The scrap pile first appeared in June 2023 and looked like a project for an area resident. An old camper trailer was mounted onto a wooden barge. However as many observers noted, the design did not seem structurally sound. Eventually a second camper and various other parts were added to the structure.

Last summer, many residents complained of the environmental risks and safety concerns regarding the floating structure. But it seemed that municipal bylaw officers had their hands tied as the waterways are governed by the provincial government.

When Pharand delivered the news of the conviction on Thursday, his announcement was met with excitement and relief.

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