A Mono resident was fined $10,000 when he admitted in Ontario Court last week to depositing thousands of loads of fill onto his property without a permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission.

Waldemar Litz pled guilty to a charge laid under the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act.

The court was told Mr. Litz deposited loads of fill between Dec. 21, 2006 and Jan. 14, 2009 and continued to deposit fill even after being advised of the need to obtain a development permit from the Niagara Escarpment Commission.

Development in the area has been regulated for almost 35 years by the Niagara Escarpment Plan, Canada’s first large-scale environmental land use plan. Landowners are required to obtain permits from the Niagara Escarpment Commission before undertaking any development. The Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act is designed to provide for the maintenance of the Escarpment and land in its vicinity substantially as a continuous natural environment, and to ensure only such development occurs as is compatible with that natural environment.

A cornerstone of Ontario’s Greenbelt, the Niagara Escarpment was designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990. The 450-million year old Escarpment stretches 725 km through Ontario’s most populated regions and is home to hundreds of unique species in its diverse ecosystems.