An Ontario man has been fined $1,000 for harassing Canada geese, a protected migratory bird species, in an incident that occurred last year at a marina on Lake St. Clair.
Details of the Incident
Joseph Brugge of Essex, Ontario, pleaded guilty to capturing, harassing, and attempting to injure Canada geese under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act, according to a May 1 bulletin from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The MNR reported that a conservation officer, with help from the public, determined that Brugge was at the Belle River Marina on the shoreline of Lake St. Clair. There, he caught a Canada goose gosling and attempted to injure adult geese by throwing large rocks and swatting at them with his hands.
Legal Proceedings
Provincial conservation officers contacted the Ontario Provincial Police for assistance with their investigation into Brugge's harassment of the birds last May. Brugge pleaded guilty before Justice of the Peace David M. Horton in the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor on February 2, 2026. He was ordered to pay Ducks Unlimited Canada $1,000 to support migratory bird management, habitat enhancement, or protection near the location where the offence was committed.
Canada geese are federally protected migratory birds, and the MNR emphasizes that the public is not permitted to catch them with their hands or attempt to injure them. The fine serves as a reminder of the legal protections afforded to these birds and the consequences of violating those protections.
