Editor:
Is the general public to understand that conservation officer Murray Smith has the authority to deal with illegal dumpers? (Coast Reporter, Aug. 10). Why would these people be able to avoid punishment by agreeing to clean up their waste and possibly other dumps in order to avoid fines and time in front of a judge?
These dumpers are polluting the environment and, if not caught and punished, will probably do it again. I suggest that, once they have been caught and punished, their names be published in Coast Reporter and the punishment applied, not by Smith, but by a judge in good standing.
Don Hensler
Gibsons
