Five forestry companies appeared in provincial court on the islands last week over charges laid under the Heritage Conservation Act. Three of the companies, Olympic Forest Products Ltd, Teal Cedar Products Ltd, and Judith A. Foster (We Fall the Wild Enterprises) had a first appearance in Queen Charlotte provincial court Jan. 10. All have been charged under section 13-2-d of the Act, which states that a person must not “damage, excavate, dig in or alter, or remove any heritage object from, a site that contains artifacts, features, materials or other physical evidence of human habitation or use before 1846.” The alleged offences took place in the Queen Charlotte area, according to the court list. The cases were adjourned to Feb. 21. On Jan. 12, Gwaii Wood Products Ltd. and I. Crosby Contracting Ltd. appeared in Masset provincial court for the same charges, with the alleged offences taking place in the Port Clements area. These two cases were adjourned to Feb. 23.
