Man let go on firearms charge; Immigration sends him home
Maria Canton
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Mar 28/01) - A British man wanting to be the first from his country to reach the North Pole in a solo, dog-team expedition has been deported, but not before receiving a conditional discharge on firearms charges in territorial court last Friday.
Gary Rolfe, 34, who arrived in Inuvik in December 2000 was in possession of two rifles after RCMP and Citizen and Immigration Canada officials arrested him outside of Inuvik in February for illegally working in the country.
Immigration found him guilty, but waited until his Yellowknife court appearance before deporting him. He left the country on Saturday.
It was his February arrest, while dog sledding along the Aklavik ice road, that led to the discovery of the two firearms -- one on the sled and one in his cabin.
The guns were on loan and he did not have a firearms licence or permit.
Rolfe's lawyer Mark Seebaran told the court his client was aware of the licensing requirements, but felt he did not have enough time to obtain the proper documents before continuing his training on the land.
Rolfe, who attempted to speak out of turn many times during his trial, eventually got to tell the court that he was carrying a gun because he felt immense pressure to protect the borrowed dog team from rabid wildlife that was plaguing the area.
A reported 18 dogs were killed before Christmas after being attacked by wild animals and warning signs were posted in Inuvik.
Had he been fined or given jail time, Rolfe, who wants to immigrate to Canada, would be banned from the country for five years.
Seebaran said a conviction would be punishment disproportionate to the crime.
Judge Michel Bourassa, however, was concerned about upholding Canada's new firearms laws when he granted the adventurer the conditional discharge.
"The irritating aspect here is that he knew the (firearms) requirements and he made a deliberate, conscious choice to ignore them," said Bourassa.
Rolfe's conditional discharge comes with a year probation and prohibits him from using firearms during that time.
