The defendant, George Valtoudis, was charged with obstructing an inspector from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), a strict liability offence under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001.
The court found that the prosecution proved the elements of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defendant raised the affirmative defences of due diligence and reasonable mistake of fact, claiming he did not know the person was an OMAFRA inspector.
The court rejected these defences, finding that the defendant knew or ought to have known the inspector's identity and was not duly diligent.
Consequently, the defendant was found guilty.
