When confronted at the scene by a Metro Vancouver park ranger in October of that year, they admitted they were responsible for some of the work, which included 23 trees being cut down and 12 more being limbed. The damaged trees were between 50 and 126 years old, according to an arborist who inspected them, the court heard. “The conduct of the accused in this case, we say, was highly culpable,” said prosecutor Shane Hopkins-Utter. “The actions of Nixon and Newhook degraded a sensitive ecosystem on a long-term if not permanent basis.” The couple are the first people ever charged with the offence under Metro Vancouver’s Regional Parks Regulation Bylaw, which makes it illegal to damage natural park features.
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