Policy change
Communities, Land and Environment Minister Richard Brown says farmers won’t be kicked off leased land
Some farmers who are told they have to stop using Crown land they are leasing won’t have to move on after all.
Communities, Land and Environment Minister Richard Brown said the policy involves converting Crown land back to forest once a farmer’s lease ends.
Brown said he asked the department to review the policy because he doesn’t want a farmer to have to find land somewhere else, which could possibly be forested and need to be cleared.
The conversations evolved over time, becoming more sexual in nature.
Stewart would send sexual messages to the victim, and there were times when she would tell him that she was not interested in that type of conversation.
“The accused would drop the dollar figure of what he would pay for the photoshoot because she didn’t give answers that pleased him,” said Crown prosecutor Valerie Moore.
The victim eventually sent Stewart topless photos, therefore
fitting the definition of child pornography because she was under the age of 18.
The court heard the victim was feeling suicidal at the time the two were messaging each other.
“This was a teenager who had, as she indicated, some depression and anxiety,” said Moore while reading from the victim impact statement.
“She had thoughts of selfharm, and it’s rather sad to note in the messages that she needed the money; she did not have much money.”
The victim contacted the RCMP after a sibling found out
about the exchanges. She provided police full access to her Facebook messenger.
A total of 115 screenshots of messages were obtained between the victim and Stewart.
Stewart was arrested May 5, 2017.
Defence lawyer Brendan Hubley said Stewart takes full responsibility for his actions and shows genuine remorse for his actions. He is also in counselling. “I would characterize this wholly as an isolated event in Mr. Stewart’s life and uncharacteristic.”
In sentencing, Chief Justice
Tracey Clements said Stewart “exercised very poor judgment” and made a “very significant mistake”.
“You had communicated with a 17-year-old girl in a manner that is not only very inappropriate, it is criminal.”
Stewart had no prior criminal record.
In additional to jail time, he received two years’ probation and must refrain from having contact with the victim.
He must also provide his DNA, pay $100 to the victims of crime fund and go on the sex offender registry for 10 years.