Niagara Falls residents fined $880 each
Last Friday, Dec. 11, members of the Niagara Police Service’s 2 District (Niagara Falls) Uniform Branch as well as members of the 2 District (Niagara Falls) Detective Services unit were called to a hotel in the area of Fallsview Blvd. and Murray St. in the City of Niagara Falls concerning an unwanted person. According to an NRPS statement released Monday, Dec. 14, when they arrived, they found a gathering of some 30 persons in one of the rooms, with many in attendance not wearing face coverings.
Police say that detectives started an investigation into the unlawful gathering as defined by the Reopening Ontario (a Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act. The investigation revealed that a similar incident occurred on Dec. 5, involving some 20 young adults. Both gatherings required police to intervene and all those in attendance were eventually evicted, police say.
As a result of the investigation, two people were charged with failing to comply with a continued section 7.0.2 order. A 21-year-old male as well as an 18-year-old female, both from the City of Niagara Falls, are facing charges under the Reopening Ontario Act, with a resulting fine of $880. Since they have been fined under Provincial legislation and not charged under the Criminal Code, police are not releasing their names.
The investigation also resulted in the arrest of one individual for not leaving the premise when directed to do so under provisions of sec. 2(1)(b) of the Trespass to Property Act.
The NRPS says it joins public health officials in calling on Niagara residents and visitors to Niagara to adhere to emergency orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
