The Weyerhaeuser Mill south of Grande Prairie has seen an increasing number of trespassers and vandals over the last couple of years. Public affairs manager Wayne Roznowsky says they’re seeing more and more recreational vehicles ignoring signs and knocking down fences to use their private property.
“It’s an industrial site with a lot of heavy equipment, and we’re really concerned that as these issues increase, there’s greater risk for someone to get seriously hurt. We’ve also had vandalism, theft, a lot of issues with people trespassing on the site and being in places where they really shouldn’t be.”
He points to an incident when two snowmobilers drove into a 15 foot deep settling pond in the middle of February, prompting a call for emergency services. They ignored a worker’s request to leave, and had the gall to return the next day to retrieve their vehicles.
Weyerhaeuser is working with RCMP and the County of Grande Prairie for better enforcement. Roznowsky says right now officers are only allowed on the private property with permission, so the mill looking to give them greater access.