WHEREAS underfunding is having a negative impact on the ability of the BC Conservation Officer Service to meet the needs of the communities served; AND WHEREAS the ability to respond to environmental concerns is hampered by the lack of human and financial resources: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Ministry of Environment be urged to provide appropriate budgets and staffing to fully support the continued and sustained operation of the conservation service.
Ministry of Environment The Province appreciates the support municipalities are expressing for the work that Conservation Officers do in their region and the Conservation Officer Service overall. The Province recognizes municipalities desire to increase the level of funding to the Conservation Officer Service. Government must also take into consideration the overall needs of the entire province. Factors such as service request volume, population growth, increased development activity on the land base and the overall numbers of Conservation Officers in the geographic area are all considered when staff deployments are assessed. The Conservation Officer Service will continue to maintain its current level of service delivery through officers working in the larger geographic area, as well as collaborative initiatives with other law enforcement agencies. The Conservation Officer Service continues to transform how it does its work, leveraging the use of technology such as rugged laptops and iPhones to increase the mobility of the Conservation Officers and ensure an increased presence on the landscape because they no longer need to be in the office to perform many of their functions.