Vernon arborist in court for working near creek without permit

A Vernon arborist and a trucking company are being prosecuted in court for carrying out work near a creek without a permit. Green Giant Tree Removal and J Purewal Trucking Company are scheduled to appear in the BC Provincial Court Nov. 20 facing allegations they did work at a downtown Vernon motel without the correct paperwork. Court records show that in April this year, the companies were accused of altering a riparian area without a development permit. It's unclear what precisely took place, but the work the companies are alleged to have done took place at the Schell Motel on 28 Avenue. Lower BX Creek runs through the site which is heavily wooded at the back of the motel. A stop work order is currently pinned to the fence. While it's not unusual for municipal governments to issue stop-work orders and give out fines, this infraction is being prosecuted in the BC Provincial Court as an offence under the Local Government Act. City of Vernon spokesperson Josh Winquist said the City does not currently have a mechanism whereby an alleged violator can be fined, although its tree bylaw is currently being updated. As the matter is in front of the courts, the City said it would be inappropriate to comment. When reached for comment, J Purewal Trucking Company owner Jasbinder Purewal said the matter was with his lawyer. An employee at Green Giant Tree Removal said they would speak to their lawyer but didn't return our request for comment. According to LinkedIn, the Schell Motel is owned by Joe Patel. No one at the motel responded to a voice message or an email. It's unclear what the penalty is if the companies are successfully prosecuted and no one at the province had an answer for what the maximum fine or penalty could be. In 2023, Salmon Arm resident Jim Weed ended up in the BC Provincial Court facing 163 infractions https://infotel.ca/newsitem/salmon-arm-man-gets-163-tickets-for-chopping-down-163-trees/it101238 - one for each tree – for cutting trees down without a permit. He later paid a $55,000 fine after https://www.saobserver.net/local-news/salmon-arm-property-owner-fined-55k-for-removing-trees-without-permit-7364790 pleading guilty in court. None of the allegations have been proven. To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer mailto:bbulmer@infonews.ca  or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .