RCMP investigating alleged Montreal Lake fishing derby fraud
CBC
A report of fraud tied to a walleye derby is under investigation after Montreal Lake Cree Nation said a participant allegedly violated derby rules and was asked to leave the fishing area.
Waskesiu RCMP said no charges have been laid.
The 18th annual Montreal Lake Walleye Derby offered a $100,000 grand prize. The First Nation said the matter has been referred to RCMP and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. Montreal Lake Cree Nation said there have been no known incidents of fraud in previous years.
For Dreydan Morin, the day ended with a dramatic swing on the leaderboard.
"I went up and there was a guy leading, and I got knocked down to second," said Morin, who was later declared the winner.
"I came back around, and my name was back up on the leaderboard. They told me they disqualified the guy."
Morin — a First Nations man from Southend, near Reindeer Lake — said he has been fishing all his life. He caught his 1.13-kilogram fish within the first few minutes of the event, then spent the rest of the day watching the standings and waiting to see if anyone would bring in a heavier walleye.
"My heart was going all day," Morin said. "I was pretty nervous and excited."
His wife and three children followed along on FaceTime as the results came in. Morin said the prize money will make a real difference for his family.
"We're putting a down payment for a mortgage, me and my wife," he said.
The case is drawing attention beyond this one derby.
Since 2023, some of the same cluster of names have surfaced among top winners at several Saskatchewan fishing derbies. That is putting a spotlight on how organizers respond when familiar winners keep showing up in high-stakes events.
Andrew Pallotta, who owns and operates the Competitive Sports Fishing League in Ontario, said some organizers respond by putting repeat winners under more scrutiny. His organization runs about 30 tournaments each year.
"We actually will enforce [it] with the guys winning multiple events," Pallotta said. "He's actually signing a paper that he's prepared to do it. We want to make sure [of] that because it starts questioning the integrity of what the tournament's all about."
The notion that home ownership guarantees financial security in old age is being challenged by a recent survey.
The family of Nash Prystie has identified him as the man who died in an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shooting earlier this month north of Kenora, and is calling for more and quicker help for people with mental health challenges.
Playoff action in the Ontario Hockey League gets underway Thursday night for Guelph and Friday in Kitchener.
UPEI wants its faculty to sign on to an updated version of its sexual assault and discrimination policy, but the union that represents the school's academic staff says it wants the policies to be part of its collective agreement.
In Texas this week for a global energy conference, the federal natural resources minister is proclaiming "Canada is back" and ready to bolster its energy sector and grow exports.
Members of Parliament last year went on the fewest sponsored international trips in the last 15 years, excluding the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario is running out of time to beef up rules that would crack down on negligent and misbehaving municipal politicians ahead of the next civic election, some experts and opposition critics warn.
Six London teens are each facing multiple charges following a break-and-enter spree at homes in the city's southwest end early Sunday, police said.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure is putting the finishing touches on completing the Team Gushue Highway, but it means drivers might have to change their routes until later this summer.
Passage of the Nova Scotia government's budget bill stalled late Tuesday night when a group of singing protesters shut down the final vote to approve the budget.
Health Minister John Dornan said Woodstock-based eVisitNB will continue to provide virtual health-care services to New Brunswickers for another 90 days after March 31.
The head of Canada's largest airline has been summoned to Ottawa to explain why he spoke only in English when he offered his condolences to the families of those killed or hurt in the collision between a plane and a fire truck at a New York City airport on Sunday.
Manitoba is bucking a national trend by promising to slash its deficit, while boosting health care spending by nearly $1 billion and delivering modest affordability measures, including a PST cut that will save you money next time you buy a soda and bag of chips.