Ontario men fined, banned from fishing after incidents in provincial park

Three Ontario men pleaded guilty to illegal gillnet use and unauthorized camping in French River Provincial Park and were fined & received a 1-year fishing ban.

Three Ontario men – from Milton, Etobicoke and Brampton – have been fined a total of $7,610 after pleading guilty to multiple offences related to illegal fishing and camping in French River Provincial Park.

Bohdan Shunevych of Milton and Ryan Tulayan of Etobicoke each pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a gillnet, fishing without a licence, obstructing a conservation officer, camping without a permit and tending a fire outside of a fireplace in a provincial park. They were fined $2,575 each.

Eric Dinglasan of Brampton pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing a gillnet, fishing without a licence, camping without a permit and tending a fire outside of a fireplace in a provincial park. He was fined $2,460.

All three men were also banned from all fishing activities in the province for one year.

“They were fined a total of $7,610 and are (all) prohibited from possessing an Ontario fishing license or engaging in any fishing activities in Ontario for one year,” explained Conservation Officer Ron Arnold in a related social media video.

Justices of the Peace Sharon K. Ashick and Joseph A. Guitard heard the cases in Sudbury on April 14, 2025, and July 14, 2025.

Incident on the French River

The Ontario Court of Justice heard that on Aug. 21, 2024, a conservation officer located an unauthorized piece of fishing equipment in use on the river.

“A conservation officer located a 6.65-metre-long gillnet actively fishing on the French River in Mowat Township,” the Ministry of Natural Resources said in a court bulletin.

The officer then made contact with the three men nearby.

“The officer contacted Shunevych, Tulayan and Dinglasan (who were) unlawfully camping in French River Provincial Park and tending a fire outside of a fire pit nearby,” the bulletin stated.

The MNR said that all three individuals initially denied any involvement with the gillnet.

“However, through further investigation, it was determined that the three males were in fact the owners of the net that was set to catch fish illegally in these waters,” said Arnold in the video.

None of the three individuals held the proper credentials to use the fishing gear they had set up in the river.

“None of the three individuals possessed a commercial fishing licence to allow them to possess or fish with the gillnet,” the MNR said.

As a result, the gillnet was seized and forfeited to the Crown.

Message from conservation officers

The MNR used this example of misconduct to remind the public of the rules governing provincial parks and fishing equipment.

“Please do not camp outside of designated sites within a provincial park unless permitted,” said Arnold.

“Setting a gillnet is illegal and requires a commercial licence,” he added.

To report a natural resource problem or provide information about an unsolved case, call the ministry TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.

For more information about unsolved cases, click here.

RELATED STORIES:

• Ont. man fined $5K, banned from fishing for being over-limit in bass
• Bait trap violations net Ont. angler $1,500 fine
• Two Americans fined for illegal bass fishing in northern Ontario
• American angler fined, banned from fishing in Ontario
• Sault man fined $3K for abandoning ice fishing hut