[lippy]

Originally Posted by Neil Waugh

Here's an interesting excerpt from the Edmonton Journal story:

“The department targets everybody involved, so they target the ones killing the fish, the ones selling the fish and the ones buying the fish,” said Fisheries and Wildlife Supt. Miles Grove.

“In this case, there were two individuals that were the killers and sellers. The 25 other folks were providing a market and buying the fish.”

One of the men charged, Grove said, has aboriginal rights to fish outside licensed seasons, but that right is extinguished when the fish is sold. Another of the accused, he said, is a Wetaskiwin restaurant owner, although it is not known whether any illegally traded fish would have been served to customers.

Like I said earlier, before I was unfairly (or maybe not) profiled as being an "idiot", it appears someone involved was, in fact, exercising his/her constitutional rights as predicted.
Whether this right to fish was actually "extinguished" is something the Crown is going to have to prove. Miles Grove ain't no judge. Which is, I suspect, why it took the justice department so long to get its act together.
The local first nation, if that's what our poacher buddy is a member of, has been pretty hard edged about protecting their rights.
They spent mega millions hauling the feds all the way to the Supreme Court over mismanaging their oil and gas royalties. And lost.
I kinda got a feeling this case may be headed there too.

This one ain't over 'til it's over.

PS: Before anyone gets would up, I'm not picking sides here. I fish C and R. I'm just trying to read between the lines of the not-very-forthcoming SG's press release.

right to fish eh??Well then... I hope the "Sellers","Buyers"and those who fed them to their customers get their a*s** handed to them in court!!