Released on April 2, 2015
Northern forest company Meadow Lake OSB Limited Partnership has been fined $4,900 in Prince Albert provincial court after being found guilty of two charges under The Forest Resources Management Act and The Litter Control Act. Charges were laid by the Ministry of Environment after the company failed to remove garbage left in the forest by its contractors.Meadow Lake OSB was convicted on one charge of failing to contain waste, as required by its approved operating plan, and fined $3,500 ($2,500 plus a 40 per cent surcharge). The company was also found guilty of abandoning waste, and fined $1,400 ($1,000 plus a 40 per cent surcharge). Both charges relate to waste left on a work camp site in the Green Lake area during the 2012-13 operating season. Charges related to litter found on two other sites were dismissed by the court.
During inspections, forestry officers observed waste left behind, including material used to stabilize stream crossings, a crushed culvert and other garbage. Officers brought these issues to the company’s attention on several occasions, eventually laying the charges in December 2013. The company has cleaned up all three sites.
“The public expects companies harvesting in publicly-owned forests to follow their plans and clean up after themselves,” Ministry of Environment Forest Service Acting Executive Director David Stevenson said. “The public also trusts the ministry to hold companies accountable and we take this trust very seriously.”
If you suspect wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations, call your local Ministry of Environment office, Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-667-7561 or #5555 for SaskTel cellular subscribers, or report a violation online at www.saskatchewan.ca/conservation. You may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTip Reward Program.
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For more information, contact:
Val Nicholson
Environment
Prince Albert
Phone: 306-953-2459
Email: val.nicholson@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-981-5645