VICTORIA - Backcountry users may have noticed a new uniform in the woods.
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations compliance and enforcement officers are now known as Natural Resource Officers.
“Natural Resource Officers can now enforce a wider range of laws and regulations,” said Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson. “This change will improve our response in the field and further streamline our inspection and enforcement procedures.”
Previously, Compliance and Enforcement Officers could only enforce specific acts. As Natural Resource Officers, they will be able to enforce a broader range of statutes, shorten response time and improve their effectiveness in the field.
A single Natural Resource Officer can now respond to violations that are covered by more than one natural resource act, instead of three or four staff that may have been required previously.
The new Natural Resource Officer designation is a result of the Natural Resource Compliance Act that was introduced in fall 2011 and came into effect on March 15, 2012.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations currently has 169 compliance and enforcement officers, of which 156 are dedicated to carrying out inspections and investigations.
More than 11,000 inspections are completed each year to assess compliance with provincial laws that fall within the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations’ mandate.
Learn more at www.for.gov.bc.ca/hen/.
– Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations