Marineland has second court appearance today in St. Catharines

Marineland made its second court appearance today (March 23) in a St. Catharines court over charges that they are using dolphins and whales for entertainment purposes.

In 2019, the federal government passed Bill S-203, which made it illegal under the criminal code to use the mammals for entertainment performances and in December 2021, Niagara Police charged the park with exactly that.

After a February 14th initial court appearance, Marineland was back for more today with their defence saying the animal shows are solely meant for educational purposes.

If found guilty, the park could be ordered to shut down and the owners could face $200,000 in fines.

Niagara Police began their probe of the park in October 2021, tying it to an August 2021 display police believe violated the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act.

Back on December 13, Marineland said they believed “the courts will find Marineland to be not guilty, as a matter of law,” saying their shows are educational rather than for-profit entertainment.

“Marineland of Canada Inc.’s educational presentation was designed by experts to provide Canadians with an accessible opportunity to learn about marine life,” the statement said. “Our animal presentation contains marine mammals undertaking behaviours they exhibit in ocean environments.”

The third court appearance over the charges is set for April 20 in St. Catharines.