On March 12, 2016 members of the Sudbury Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a distress call from a group needing assistance hiking out of the old Burwash Correction Centre in Laura Township. At approximately 8:44 p.m., the four exhausted hikers located an area of good cell reception and made a 9-1-1 call for help. Police responded on motorized snow vehicles (MSV) and on foot after they reached an impassible creek. Shortly after 11 p.m. the group was located and provided warmer clothing, food and water.
All parties were assessed by the Paramedics and released. The four hikers from Sudbury were trespassing on private property that was clearly marked.
Robert ETTY 22 years of age, Ahnaf CHOWDHURY 18 years of age, Matthew FORREST 25 years of age and Mitchell ROBINSON 19 years of age, were each issued a Provincial Offence Notice for enter premises when entry prohibited.
When you are on private property, without the expressed permission of the owner or someone acting on the owner’s behalf, what you do could be punishable under the Trespass to Property Act of Ontario. If the property has signs telling you not to do something, for example: no trespassing, no photography, keep off grass, etc., then disobeying the signs or verbal instructions is trespassing. If you are found guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not more than $2,000.