Three companies are facing charges following an investigation into tree-cutting on Crown lands at a provincial park in the Halifax area.
Dexter Construction Company Ltd., Resourcetec Inc. and Scott and Stewart Forestry Consultants Ltd. have been charged with violating the Crown Lands Act.
The charges relate to cutting and damaging timber at Long Lake Provincial Park in Harrietsfield, N.S. without permission last November.
The charges have given Martin Willison, who lives down the road from the park, a little piece of mind.
"Clearly there was an infraction, clearly the law was broken – somebody did it," said Willison.
The Nova Scotia government says the park includes three lakes and 2,095 hectares of natural landscape. Roughly 3.8 hectares, or less than 10 acres, of trees were cut down last year.
"I think this is very important to know that we aren't going to tolerate this as a province," said Nova Scotia Environment Minister Margaret Miller.
The charges were sworn in provincial court and the summons served on Friday.
The government says penalties under the Crown Lands Act can include fines, land remediation and the recovery of double the market value for any wood cut.
Shaun Scott, the president of two of the companies involved, says they have been working with investigators since day one and he looks forward to a prompt and fair resolution.
"We are proud of our companies and the work we do in Nova Scotia’s forests,” said Scott in a statement to CTV News. “We respect crown lands and are committed to advancing this common natural inheritance now, and in the future."
But that comes as little comfort to Willison.
"It should be a tough enough penalty that nobody does this again in the future," he said.
The environment minister insists the site will be remediated so that everyone can enjoy the full park again.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau.
