The BC Environmental Appeal Board has dismissed an appeal last month made by a Richmond resident, whose hunting license was suspended for 10 years for various violations.
The ban was issued by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development in January 2018, after Li Zhu Liu was found to have committed several 鈥渉unting-related violations鈥� between 2013 and 2016.
Grizzly bear/Shutterstock
Violations include the killing of a grizzly bear, a black bear, two cow moose and a deer.
However, Liu appealed the penalty in October, calling the decision 鈥渆xcessive and unnecessary.鈥�
He asked for the period of hunting prohibition be reduced to two years, and during that period for him to be able to hunt with a licensed guide outfitter.
The appeal was dismissed by a panel of the environmental appeal board on Dec. 27, 2018.
The investigation carried out by the ministry's Conservation and Officer Service (COS) found proof that Liu had killed wildlife outside of open season, failed to cancel a species license after hunting and exceeded species license limits.
Liu was also accused of not making a reasonable effort to retrieve, kill and include the wildlife in his bag, and hunting on cultivated land with the owner鈥檚 consent.
In one case, the COS found that Liu failed to remove edible portions from a black bear carcass, and in another case, Liu and his friend mistakenly shot a grizzly bear, thinking it was a black bear.
During the hearing, Liu鈥檚 lawyer said Liu took full responsibility for all the offenses but the 10-year ban decision was 鈥渆xcessive and unnecessary.鈥�
He argued that the decision failed to "give appropriate weight to a number of factors" about Liu, including his 鈥渋nexperience and language difficulties鈥� in relation to his understanding of the rules.
He also emphasized the work Liu has done 鈥渢o address his shortcomings鈥�, such as donating $8,000 to the BC Wildlife Federation, procuring a full translation of the hunting regulations and retaking the hunter safety course 鈥渋n his own language to refresh his memory.鈥�
But a lawyer speaking on behalf of the ministry said the decision was 鈥渞easonable鈥� and that they had given "due consideration" to all material facts.
