Malcolm Klimowicz pleaded guilty to trespassing in a Collingwood court Tuesday.
Originally, the man faced break-and-enter charges after he posted video footage he shot at a Springwater mink farm.
Klimowicz was not fined. However, he was ordered to stay away from the farm on Ushers Road in Springwater Township for one year.
According to his lawyer, Leo Salloum, Klimowicz was aware the mink farm property was private and he did not have permission to be on it. Klimowicz still entered the property and filmed the minks and the state of the farm.
He posted the videos on the Internet as part of his campaign to end fur farming in Ontario. The videos have since been taken down.
The downgraded charge was on the condition the videos be removed, according to a press release issued by Koala Info on behalf of Klimowicz and his defence attorney, Gary Grill.
Klimowicz is quoted in the press release calling the move “censorship.”
“They don’t want people to see what’s happening,” said Klimowicz in the release, adding the industry is self-regulated and he doesn't believe that's working. “They don’t want people to ask questions. There are no laws in place to protect animals on fur farms.”
Klimowicz is also to have no direct or indirect contact with Rob Ritchie, the owner of the farm.
As part of his campaign, he also filmed farms in Oshawa and Kingston. A similar break and enter charge in Oshawa has been stayed, but the break and enter charge in Kingston is still in the courts.
“The fur industry in Ontario is self-regulated. The animals are suffering. It’s messed up,” he said in a previous interview with CollingwoodToday. “I’m also running a campaign to end fur farming, because other countries have done so. It’s all just for fashion. I think it’s disgusting."
According to his lawyer, he no longer resides in Ontario. You can read more about his case here.
