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(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc forestry company has lost the majority of an appeal after it was fined $12,000 over a load of unmarked timber discovered during an investigation into an illegal firewood operation.

According to a May 6 Forests Appeal Commission decision, the case dates back to 2019 when the province was investigating an illegal firewood operation in Knutsford, outside Kamloops.

The investigation led officers to search a lumber yard at LeBeau Bros. Logging where they found eight decks of unmarked and unscaled timber being stored.

The decision says at the time LeBeau Bros was the sole contractor for Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc owned Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation, and the law makes Tk’emlupsemc responsible if a contractor breaks the rules.

In 2022, the Ministry of Forests fined the Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation $12,000 because the lumber had been transported without following the stringent procedures required.

The Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation appealed the Ministry's decision.

The lengthy decision gives a complex overview of the seemingly endless regulations involved in the logging industry.

The Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation argued it had done its due diligence in making sure that all timber followed the correct procedure.

However, the Forestry Appeal Board rejected the argument saying its processes for making sure regulatory requirements were met was "inadequate."

The Appeal Board does rule in the Tk’emlupsemc Forest Development Corporation's favour in one instance saying the Ministry had failed to prove one of the allegations that it had been fined $3,000.

The decision says the unmarked timber was seized by the Crown and sold and the small amount didn't cause any "significant social, environmental, and financial harm."

Ultimately, The Appeal Board reduced the fine to $9,000.

There is no mention in the decision about what became of the original investigation into the illegal firewood operation.

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