Conservation Officers Issue Tickets and Warnings to Motorists During Roadside Checks

Conservation officers with the Department of Natural Resources issued seven summary offence tickets and six written warnings over a two-day period earlier this month as part of an initiative to determine compliance with the Forestry Act and Regulations.

“We are concerned with the number of infractions found during the recent roadside checks,” said the Honourable Tom Marshall, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency. “Any person in possession of timber must be able to demonstrate that the timber was obtained legally and commercial operators must carry load slips in accordance with the regulations. We expect to see a much better compliance rate when officers conduct the next check stations.”

Conservation officers conducted 40 vehicle inspections at two locations, at Pynn’s Brook and on Route 421 (Hampden Highway), checking load slips, wood cutting permits and the amount of timber carried on vehicles. Four vehicles used to transport wood were removed from service by Service NL’s highway enforcement and weigh scale officers. Among those removed from the roadway were two pickup trucks carrying firewood and a tractor trailer transporting logs.

“Conducting random checks on commercial vehicles promotes compliance with the requirements under the Highway Traffic Act,” said the Honourable Nick McGrath, Minister of Service NL. “Our enforcement officers regularly conduct inspections throughout the year to ensure safety on our highways. We were proud to partner with the Department of Natural Resources on this initiative as safety is of the utmost importance.”

The roadside checks were jointly conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. To ensure compliance with regulations under the Forestry Act those who transport wood can review the act at www.assembly.nl.ca/Legislation/sr/statutes/f23.htm. Commercial operators can also review the instructions contained on their load slips or contact their District Forestry Office.

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2013 06 21             11:45 a.m.