Riding the rails 1930s-style lands man in court

Taking a train trip across Canada can be a sightseer’s dream, but you will likely end up in court if you ride the rails like it’s the 1930s.

Simon Morin appeared in Moose Jaw provincial court on March 31, where he pleaded guilty to breaching the Railway Safety Act, specifically, unlawfully entering Canadian Pacific (CP) property where rail equipment operates.

Judge Daryl Rayner gave the 24-year-old an absolute discharge, the lowest-level adult sentence an offender can receive. This means Morin will not be left with a criminal record.

Rayner gave Morin the absolute discharge since it wasn’t contrary to the public interest, Morin was unaware that what he did was a criminal offence, he was polite and co-operative with police, and he had been on probation since November without incident.

The judge did impose a victim surcharge of $100. CP employees informed CP police on Nov. 20, 2020, that they had found someone riding on one of the locomotives that was then refuelling in Moose Jaw, federal Crown prosecutor Suzanne Young explained. Police arrived on scene and arrested Morin; they learned that he had boarded the train in his hometown of Sault St. Marie, Ont., and planned to travel to British Columbia. Young added that Morin has no criminal record and has taken steps to address the matter.

Morin is employed as a tree planter in Sault St. Marie in the summer, while he travels across Canada in the winter, explained Legal Air lawyer Suzanne Jeanson. While in police custody, officers found him to be polite, co-operative and “nice.”

“When I spoke with him, he told me he wasn’t aware at the time that that behaviour was criminal … ,” she continued. “But I think it’s safe to say he’s learned from this experience. He most certainly appreciates how serious this is … . He will not repeat it. He has not done so since (and) he will not in the future.”