The province says it plans to appeal the amount of a penalty imposed by WorkSafeBC for “unsafe” wildfire practices in B.C.’s northeastern region. WorkSafeBC issued the $710,488 administrative penalty on Oct. 26, 2023. The incident happened in Wonowon, northwest of Fort St. John. …B.C. Forests Ministry said the province agrees that process improvements are warranted, but that the amount of the penalty imposed is “arbitrary and disproportionately high.” The ministry says the penalty was calculated using he entire Government of B.C.’s payroll for what they “believe should be a specific location infraction.” It will appeal the penalty to “ensure it is appropriate for the level of work carried out” and the region it happened in. …The Forests Ministry will be reviewing its safety and contracting processes and procedures to ensure all contractors meet the current requirement to be fully certified for hazardous work, such as falling trees.