Clear-cutting cases result in hundreds of thousands in fines in Huron East

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

At Huron County Council’s Nov. 5 meeting, Forest Conservation Officer Dave Pullen updated council on some now-resolved forest conservation bylaw cases, several of which ended with costly convictions and hefty fines.

 

Pullen, as he always does, was sure to tell council that his preferred method of resolution - and the one that is most often effectively deployed - is to be proactive about infractions and to resolve them before any legal action is necessary. However, in some cases, legal avenues must be used if wrongdoing persists.

 

His report, unfortunately, focused on three cases in which the wrongdoing persisted and legal action was taken. All three incidents took place in 2023 and are just being resolved now.

 

The first, he said, was in Central Huron, where nearly one acre of woodland was clear-cut. The county issued a fine of $52,000 plus a 25 per cent victim surcharge for a total of $65,000, against the corporation in question and two of its directors. 
Pullen told councillors that this case was resolved before it went to trial with both parties signing an agreed statement of facts, followed by guilty pleas and convictions.

 

The second case was not so amicable and it went to trial.

 

A corporation and its director were charged with the destruction of about six acres of woodland and, furthermore, failed to comply with a stop-work order issued on the property, which was in Huron East.

 

“A resolution could not be achieved, so a court trial took place. A corporation and the director of the corporation were each found guilty and fined $200,000, plus a 25 per cent victim surcharge for a total penalty of $500,000. In addition, the court ordered both the director and the corporation to be subject to a probation order for a period of two years,” Pullen said in his report to council.

 

The third case again took place in Huron East and involved the same person as the second case, as well as a contractor hired by that person. In it, approximately 10 acres of woodland was destroyed, however, just before a trial, a settlement was negotiated between the defendants and the county, resulting in a $150,000 fine on the primary defendant and $30,000 for the contractor. With the 25 per cent victim surcharge, the total fines levied were $225,000.