Bill Boyd fined for breaking environment laws

Former Saskatchewan cabinet minister Bill Boyd was handed another fine for breaking environmental laws on his land near Eston.

Boyd, 61, pleaded guilty in February to one charge under the Environmental Management and Protection Act and another charge under the Wildlife Habitat Protection Act.  At that time, he was fined $7,000 for illegal digging on a portion of the bank of the South Saskatchewan River on his land.

On Tuesday Boyd was fined another $28,000 in Kindersley Provincial Court for illegally cultivating five acres of protected grassland near his property, bringing the total penalty for both infractions to $35,000.

The charges came after conservation officers visited his property twice in the summer of 2017, once in June and once in July.  The July visit came in response to a call to the Turn In Poachers tip line.

Boyd has also been ordered to fix all the damage to the grassland and the riverbank.