To the Editor,
The B.C. government has refused to release the list of those who have not paid water use fines for abuse of the law.
Two-thirds—66 per cent—of fines were unpaid to the court for Water Act violations and 40 per cent of court fines issued for all environmental violations went unpaid.
The government did not reveal names of late paying violators or those with outstanding fines.
This information should be a matter of public record.
Three years ago the Ministry of Environment recommended that a list of these violators would be published and to this date their own recommendations have not been followed.
No wonder that so many of these polluters can carry on with impunity whereas a regular citizen would be prosecuted and fines collected.
Larry Mannix,
Port Alberni