CARLYLE — A southeast Saskatchewan man pleaded guilty to six hunting and firearm-related charges Jan. 28 in Carlyle Provincial Court.
Aaron E. McArthur of the White Bear First Nation pleaded guilty to one count of illegal outfitting under the Natural Resources Act (NRA); one each for trafficking wildlife and hunting at night under the Saskatchewan Wildlife Act; and three charges of possessing a weapon contrary to an order under the Criminal Code.
Nine other charges were stayed.
McArthur was assessed $16,500 in fines and $6,600 in surcharges, with a $10,000 fine and a $4,000 surcharge for the NRA offence, a $1,500 fine and a $600 surcharge for hunting at night, and a $5,000 fine and a $2,000 surcharge for trafficking.
He also received three nine-month concurrent conditional sentence orders for firearm matters.
McArthur received a lifetime firearms ban, and he can’t be in the presence of anybody who is hunting, as defined in the Wildlife Act, for two years, unless he is with an individual who is a member of the White Bear First Nation who is hunting for McArthur’s sustenance.
Senior Crown prosecutor Suzanne Reid said an undercover officer cultivated a relationship with McArthur because there were significant indications McArthur was involved in illegal hunting activities.
The officer arranged for McArthur to take another undercover officer out for a hunt, she said. In December 2023, the two officers picked up McArthur, who had a firearm, even though Reid said McArthur already had a lifetime prohibition. They drove into the Moose Mountain Provincial Park and encountered two moose; Reid said one of the officers shot and killed an animal while it was still dark.
“Mr. McArthur directs them in field dressing the animal. They load it onto the truck with a cover on the box,” said Reid.
During their discussion, Reid said McArthur claimed to have six American clients that year and had been guiding for 20 years. McArthur also noted he has sold antlers to another person, she said, which was the basis of the trafficking charge.
The officers saw McArthur’s three firearms and ammunition, she said. At the end of the day, they discussed an elk hunt with him.
Several elk hunts occurred in September 2024. None were successful, she said.
On Sept. 27, 2024, Reid said officers performed a traffic stop on a vehicle with McArthur as a passenger. They checked for firearms under the Wildlife Act and seized two. McArthur was arrested.
Reid noted there is no outfitting in the area and McArthur does not have an outfitting licence.
“These are very difficult crimes to contest, and of course, with any regulatory offences, the fines have to be prohibitive,” said Reid.
Natural resources are fragile, she said, and conservation efforts are thwarted when crimes like these occur.
The CSO is needed for the firearm offences, she said, because of his criminal record. The CSO has standard conditions, plus a curfew from 11 p.m.-6 a.m., unless he has the prior written permission of a supervisor or designate; and to not possess or consume alcohol or drugs that haven’t been prescribed to him.
Defence attorney Joelle Graham, speaking on the Criminal Code matters, described the joint submission as a “very fair and reasonable resolution in all of the circumstances”.
McArthur represented himself on the NRA and Wildlife Act charges. When given the chance to speak by Judge Mitch Miller, McArthur declined.
Miller said he was troubled when he saw what McArthur has gone through in his life, including Gladue factors. The judge then said he would go along with the sentence, and lauded the attorneys for their work, calling it a difficult case.
