In September of 2024 Spray Lake Sawmills (now West Fraser Cochrane) received a $6,000 fine for a Forests Act contravention that occurred in 2023.

This comes not long after another fine in May of 2024, which we reported on here.  

Similar to previous instances, Alberta’s public records for this incident provided no detail on the fine beyond: “s.100(1)(a) of the Timber Management Regulation. Timber operations not in accordance with rules respecting harvesting and reforestation operations”.

To get further information, we again had to resort to a Freedom of Information Request. 

In this case, the fine was levied after sediment was observed entering a watercourse at two locations in close proximity. The watercourse in question, a tributary of Coxhill Creek and Jumpingpound Creek, contributes to critical habitat for bull trout and is fish-bearing. 

The company was given the opportunity to apply mitigative measures and “was made aware on several documented occasions that the location of the bridge crossing, presented a high risk of potential for sedimentation”.

However, inspectors found mitigation measures were insufficient to stop sediment release. The official report states that initial mitigation work was “inadequate” and that “sediment was allowed to remain in the riparian area and in the watercourse at both locations”.   

Sediment entering watercourses is a primary cause of habitat degradation for imperiled trout species and has long been recognized as such in recovery and planning documents. Native trout species are highly vulnerable to increased sediment levels, which significantly impact the ability of trout to successfully feed, grow, and reproduce.

It’s vital that we stop these sediment releases if we are to recover these species.  

The fine amounts issued in these cases are miniscule relative to the scale of the forestry operations. The lack of transparency (no details are made public on forest act contraventions) is also a problem – what happens on public land is in the public interest and should be made available.

Instead, we must pay to access this information via Freedom of Information Requests, which create additional delays (and work for government employees), to know what is occurring on our public lands. 

As this contravention took place prior to West Fraser Cochrane’s purchase of Spray Lake Sawmills, but the decision was issued after the purchase, West Fraser Cochrane provided a response to the decision outlining actions they will be taking. These include reclamation of the site, committing to additional training for contractors and equipment operators, and hiring staff with fisheries experience.

We hope that these changes will result in meaningful improvements on the ground.