SUDBURY -- Two people from the Toronto area, ages 17 and 18, are facing fines for breaching emergency orders imposed by the province to try and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Police found the pair Wednesday at noon while performing a wellness check on a resident at a Cedar Street North address.
"While confirming the well-being of a tenant at the residence in question, Timmins police officers had occasion to locate and interview two guests in the building who are both from the Toronto area," police said in a news release Thursday.
"Neither of the two individuals located by the Timmins Police share a legitimate address, as one is from Toronto, while the other is from North York."
Police said they discovered both males were breaking COVID protocols under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA). Under the act, residents are under a stay-at-home order and are only supposed to travel for essential reasons, such as shopping and medical appointments.
Each offence carries a set fine of $880, police said.
"This marks the second instance where the Timmins Police Service has found it necessary to lay formal charges as the offence in question was an overt and intentional violation," police said.
With COVID cases rising in the area – there have been 79 new cases since Sunday – police said the time for education is over.
"The Timmins Police has adopted a firmer approach when confronting such violations as it is deemed to be necessary and appropriate to do so in order to better protect people from their own lack of good judgment and the indulgence in unsafe behaviours," the release said.
