Illegal timber trade is a major global issue, valued at tens of billions of dollars each year with illicit wood products moving through international supply chains and across borders. By ensuring compliance with environmental legislation, enforcement officers help ensure that laws are respected, reducing harm to species and their habitats while supporting healthy ecosystems that Canadians rely on.
On July 7, 2026, at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Ontario, Dream Billiards Sports Bar and Eatery Inc. was fined $25,000 after pleading guilty to one offence under subsection 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). This conviction relates to importing items made from rosewood, a protected exotic wood, without a permit. The Act requires permits when importing CITES-listed plants. The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund.
In February 2025, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers inspected a shipment of billiard table legs from India that was intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency in Mississauga, Ontario. The shipment was on its way to the company in Barrie, Ontario. While inspecting the shipment, officers discovered 119 billiard table legs made from exotic wood. Laboratory analysis revealed that the items were made from rosewood (Dalbergia), an exotic species listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Appendix II species require an export permit from the exporting country for import into Canada. As Dream Billiards Sports Bar and Eatery Inc. did not have the legally required permit, enforcement officers detained the shipment. All the rosewood table legs have since been forfeited to the Crown.
Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers verify that shipments of wood products made from CITES-listed species have the required permits, helping ensure that trade is controlled, legal, and sustainable. These measures help protect species at risk of overexploitation and support global conservation efforts.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has created a free subscription service to help Canadians stay current with what the Government of Canada is doing to protect the natural environment.
