Compliance & Enforcement
Compliance and Enforcement (C&E) is the law enforcement arm of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations. Its main purpose is to make sure that a variety of resource management laws are being followed on and in B.C.'s public lands, water, and forests and to take action where there is non-compliance.
Natural Resource Officers actively patrol for and enforce a broad cross section of resource management laws. Some examples from over 46 pieces of legislation include:
Forest Range Practices Act (FRPA) - practices, measures, results or strategies, stocking standards
Wildfire Act - fire cause investigation (possible arson), fire use on private or Crown such as debris burning, and safe use of campfires
Forest Act - cutting of Crown timber, appraisals (timber valuation, monitoring of transportation, marking, scaling
Range Act - livestock, hay, Crown pastures
Forest Practices Code of BC Act (FPC) - silviculture/road legacy, special use permits
Land Act - unauthorized use of Crown land ie. Illegal cabins
Environmental Management Act - Litter, Waste, and Open Burning (smoke emissions)
Fish Inspection Act - Provincial (processing, vendors, roadside sales)
Water Act - Changes in and about a stream (Section 9 notifications)
Mines Act and Mining Code of Practice - Mining and mineral exploration related activities such as gravel pits/quarries
Associated Regulations
Natural Resource Officers conduct more than 11,000 inspections a year to assess compliance with provincial laws.
Where there is evidence of a contravention, an investigation is conducted, which may lead to the issuance of a violation ticket, penalty or other enforcement action. The most serious crimes are prosecuted through the court system.
If you have any information about a suspected natural resource contravention or crime, call your local Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations office.
Or you can call Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (callers may remain anonymous).
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