The owner of the land south of Shelter Bay that was clear-cut in recent years is appealing a government order to remediate 12 streams that were affected by the logging.
“An investigation by local compliance and enforcement staff was conducted on the Sage Investment private lands to ensure the company was adhering to the Water Act,” said Heidi Zilkie, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. “As a result of this work, a Water Act order was issued to Sage Investments in April instructing the company to hire a qualified professional to develop a plan to remediate the identified streams.”
Zilkie added that Sage Investments was appealing the order.
According to Zilkie, 12 streams were impacted due to a failure to remove temporary stream crossings.
The Times Review reported in July 2012 that Sage Investments was being investigated for its work on its private holdings in the Eagle Bay area.
Ron Thomson, the land manager for Sage Investments, said he would wait until a ruling was made on the appeal before commenting.
“It would just be a bunch of he said, she said and pointing fingers, so it probably doesn’t make much sense,” he said. “Just wait for it to play out and we’ll be happy to fill you in on what it’s all about when it’s over.”
If the appeal fails, the company could be fined $230 for each violation ticket issued. The company could also be prosecuted under the Water Act, in which case it could face a maximum penalty of $1 million and/or up to one year in prison, said Zilkie.
Sage Investments is seeking to develop the property. An application was made last year to have a portion of the property removed from the Agricultural Land Reserve; a decision has not been made yet.
“The success of that will dictate what the next process will be,” said Thomson.