CN Rail police ticketed a man for walking too close to its tracks while protesters were blockading rail lines with impunity.
Derek Desormeaux of Sudbury was fined $125 by two CN officers for allegedly trespassing on CN property while he was out on a walk with his infant daughter.
According to Desormeaux, the two officers left their vehicle and began questioning him.
“It doesn’t seem fair to just pop out and fine someone a hundred bucks for something they don’t know about,” said Desormeaux.
“A sign is probably a lot cheaper than to have two officers sit in a vehicle all day and giving tickets to people who probably don’t know this law.”
CN Rail told the CBC that Desormeaux’s actions were considered to be “dangerous and illegal.”
“It is dangerous and illegal to trespass on CN Property and trespassers will be prosecuted,” said CN Rail spokesperson Pierre Bergeron.
Desormeaux was ticketed only days after protesters were caught on video trying to sabotage the rail lines.
Last week near Belleville, Ont. protesters lit fires and threw debris on rails as trains were passing by.
Conservative MP Doug Shipley questioned whether the acts constituted a form of terrorism.
“[My constituent] asked me if I knew the definition of terrorist activity according to the Criminal Code … This resident wanted to know if the current illegal blockades that are happening across Canada are being deemed as a terrorist activity?,” asked Shipley.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair called the actions “terribly unsafe” but refused to classify them as terrorist acts.
“It’s very appropriate that I be careful in doing that because I do not want to interfere with the operational independence of both the police and our prosecutors. But at the same time that was terribly unsafe, deeply concerning. I have confidence in the police to deal with it appropriately,” said Blair.
