lack of CO funding

[Big Lew]

The "province" newspaper today is reporting further cutbacks to the conservation officers, citing a memo encouraging officers to hitch rides with the RCMP, double up, or find alternate means of transportation, and to only address critical, necessary situations. They already are shamefully under-budgeted as it is, how often do you see officers in the field now? When you consider how important tourism, hunting and fishing, camping, hiking, etc. is to our ecomony, why take away tools to protect it? All my recreational activities are in the outdoors, and over the last 30 years or more, I've been checked, or seen others checked, less then ten times. During that time, I've witnessed, discovered, and reported gross poaching, seen many animals, (both domistic and wild) that were shot and just left. Many persons keeping fish and birds well over their legal limits, messy campsites, illegal fires during extreme fire season, etc. A good deal of this because people know there are no officers likely patrolling about for lack of fuel money in their budget. Across the border, when travelling in the wilderness, you'll see rangers at any time, and quite frequently. What gives?

[frenchbar]

Less hunting opportunitys,less hunters=less cos,more poaching,illeagal activitys ,quite SAD actualy.

[Sitkaspruce]

One of the big things that is pi$$ing the CO's off is the fact that they cannot take the work truck home at night anymore. The bean counters have said that the trucks have to stay in the compound during non-work hours. Since a CO is on call 24 hours a day, that means if they get a call at night, they have to drive back to thier office, get a truck, and then head out to the call. For a couple of CO's I know, that is a 1/2 hour+ drive one way to the office. The CO's are refusing this call out as a protest, since they do not get covered for their gas in their own vehicle during non-working hours.

It is penny pinching crap like this that has caused a few CO's to look at different jobs and leave the service. Since taking a truck home is a Taxable Benefit to the Gov, who cares if they take it home. When I was a FO, we had to take a truck home, as we could be called out at all hours of the night.

Right now, being a CO is not a very rewarding job, not like it used to be. Tough position to be in, I do not envey them one bit.

Cheers

SS

[Rock Doctor]

I hear that the CO in Ft Nelson has been told that he already used his fuel budget for the yr, and to stop driving:eek:

[elkdom]

there ha been a shortage of operations funding and manpower funding for many years in BC,for example, in Reg 7B the CO's just for Environmental enforcement, have thousands New of Sour Gas wells (H2s), thousands of NEW road and pipeline projects, relative to watersheds,river crossings,Water theft and abuses, in reality there is very little left for Wildlife Protection and little left for Game and Fish enforcement, CO's are stretched to the MAX, no gas money, no increase in man power, meanwhile GORDO goes crazy with mega projects and is selling off every last portion of BC's resources!:roll:

[boxhitch]

Its not all about wildlife anymore.
The CO's spend what % of a day on environmental issues ?, checking sewage, job sites, logging shows, air quality........50%?

[Marc]

It makes me wonder if this big push for the Report a Poacher campaign isn't to try and take up some of the slack of not enough resources and make the public do all the work so they cut cost / numbers of CO's in the woods?

[frenchbar]

I guess the days of the roadblocks you used to see coming off all the major hunting areas are pretty much over,and imo were a good thing in keeping people honest.now its sit at home for the cos and wait for the rapp line to ring.

[Charlie]

Too bad the CO's were not somehow associated with the Olympics or they would have received a dump truck full of $100 bills delivered to their headquarters.:roll:

[elkdom]

Its not all about wildlife anymore.
The CO's spend what % of a day on environmental issues ?, checking sewage, job sites, logging shows, air quality........50%?

Truth is it is more likely 90% of time and expense from the CO's office spent on, logging, sewer, water use issues, oil and gas development, power lines, industrial air pollution enforcement, more and more the MOE is referred to as , AIR,LAND,WATER Ministry,,,

[Allen50]

well if we want the CO's out there we might have to pick them up when were going out hunting, and drop them off and pick them up on are way home,,,?????

[elkdom]

well if we want the CO's out there we might have to pick them up when were going out hunting, and drop them off and pick them up on are way home,,,?????

I would do that! :)

but they cant afford "their" share of the gas and groceries:???:

[Rock Doctor]

I guess the days of the roadblocks you used to see coming off all the major hunting areas are pretty much over,and imo were a good thing in keeping people honest.now its sit at home for the cos and wait for the rapp line to ring.

Actually this is all you see around here now. Usually joint efforts between RCMP, MOT, and CO's. There are 2 ways into Ft Nelson, and it's pretty convenient for them to set up and check everything/everyone in one location. They "usually" set up at the junction of the Alaska Hwy and the Liard Hwy. There is NO way to avoid them in this location.
We also still see some river checks, but it's usually RCMP and CO's togeather now.

[frenchbar]

Actually this is all you see around here now. Usually joint efforts between RCMP, MOT, and CO's. There are 2 ways into Ft Nelson, and it's pretty convenient for them to set up and check everything/everyone in one location. They "usually" set up at the junction of the Alaska Hwy and the Liard Hwy. There is NO way to avoid them in this location.
We also still see some river checks, but it's usually RCMP and CO's togeather now.Thats a good thing imo . havent seen one down here in the Lillooet area in the past few yrs ,they used to have one just about every 2nd weekend back in the late 80s and early 90s just north of town on hwy 40.wish i would see more of it down here .

[elkdom]

Thats a good thing imo . havent seen one down here in the Lillooet area in the past few yrs ,they used to have one just about every 2nd weekend back in the late 80s and early 90s just north of town on hwy 40.wish i would see more of it down here .

at one time there was a permanent Wildlife office, "Game Check" at Cache Creek, on the west side of the highway a you entered CCrk coming from the north on Hwy 97 , signs either side of Cache Creel informing it was compulsory for all Hunters to stop and report, usually quick and polite , only took a few minutes, you could purchase licenses, tags, do your compulsory inspections, get updates on regulations changes etc, I remember one time the guys in a Ford pick-up ahead of me lost 2 loaded rifles and 2 loaded shotguns, boy did they have a stupid look on their faces as the CO's loaded thier guns into the office and started writting them tickets!! everyone knew the "Game Check" and CO office was there, yet many DORKS got caught!:roll:

[frenchbar]

at one time there was a permanent Wildlife office, "Game Check" at Cache Creek, on the west side of the highway a you entered CCrk coming from the north on Hwy 97 , signs either side of Cache Creel informing it was compulsory for all Hunters to stop and report, usually quick and polite , only took a few minutes, you could purchase licenses, tags, do your compulsory inspections, get updates on regulations changes etc, I remember one time the guys in a Ford pick-up ahead of me lost 2 loaded rifles and 2 loaded shotguns, boy did they have a stupid look on their faces as the CO's loaded thier guns into the office and started writting them tickets!! everyone knew the "Game Check" and CO office was there, yet many DORKS got caught!:roll:
Ya.Ive been through that one a couple times yrs ago ,i think they still set up one there a couple times a yr,most likly at the end of the long weekend in Oct.

[elkdom]

Ya.Ive been through that one a couple times yrs ago ,i think they still set up one there a couple times a yr,most likly at the end of the long weekend in Oct.

Yeah! the GOOD OL' Days, when Thanksgiving long weekend and Remembrance Day weekend Nov 11, there was a steady bumper to bumper highway from Vancouver to PG and Vanderhoof, all kinds of cars, old station wagons, pic-up trucks with campers, motor homes, some of the most un-godly rigs to ever set tires on the road! lmao:-D nothing in them days to see 3 guys in a VW bug, and a couple deer on the roof going home with their game! or a homemade camper on an old pick-up roaring down Hwy 97,and wood smoke bellowing from the "WOOD STOVE" inside, lmao

[frenchbar]

Honestly.ive been checked by a C.O maybe half dozen times in the last 25yrs ,and im out quite a bit in reg 3 around the Lillooet area.Rarely see a co on my travels .

[hunter1947]

If this is the case the government is nuts ,it should be the other way around ,there should be more CO hired reason being is that there are more population of people now then 10 years ago ,if this is going to happen they the ones who thought about it need there heads checked for a brain fart :twisted:.

[bridger]

the co's are really underfunded and in the peace they are also now enforcing the oil and gas commisson laws with the oil companies taking more time away from their original purpose.

[Charlie]

I agree. More CO's. To specifically target all the tattooed wierdo's packing guns in the hills. You go CO!



Way to generalize there bucko! You go Cletus!

[Big Lew]

25 years ago, or so, my wife and I witnessed, in the summer, a group of pitlampers with crossbows, set up for several days above the falls on lost creek. We reported them along with a discription of their vehicle, but the RCMP were the ones that came out to handle the case....turns out that the poachers were caught selling venison to restaurants in the fraser valley. The RCMP told me that there doe and fawn hides and guts from many animals chucked over the edge of the canyon....no wonder the once high number of deer in that area has all but disappeared, they wiped out most of the breeding stock and fawns. The CO's at that time had too large an area to cover, so weren't able to attend right away.

[pikey]

Less hunting opportunitys,less hunters=less cos,more poaching,illeagal activitys ,quite SAD actualy.

Yep, there are 2 sides to every coin, shut down the hunting opportunites for residents and the money for funding goes bye bye, go figure.


It's the wild west out there

[huntwriter]

The "province" newspaper today is reporting further cutbacks to the conservation officers, citing a memo encouraging officers to hitch rides with the RCMP, double up, or find alternate means of transportation, and to only address critical, necessary situations. They already are shamefully under-budgeted as it is, how often do you see officers in the field now? When you consider how important tourism, hunting and fishing, camping, hiking, etc. is to our ecomony, why take away tools to protect it? All my recreational activities are in the outdoors, and over the last 30 years or more, I've been checked, or seen others checked, less then ten times. During that time, I've witnessed, discovered, and reported gross poaching, seen many animals, (both domistic and wild) that were shot and just left. Many persons keeping fish and birds well over their legal limits, messy campsites, illegal fires during extreme fire season, etc. A good deal of this because people know there are no officers likely patrolling about for lack of fuel money in their budget.

We heard about that travesty on our last Fish & Game Club board meeting. We’re told that the CO’s are no longer able to respond to calls, only emergencies, because they have no gas money. What a joke. Hunters contribute millions of dollars and that money should go back to the wildlife service. It’s about time we make a law in that regard similar as the one in the USA where all moneys generated from hunting and fishing have to go directly into the wildlife (DNR) department.

With the election coming up our club is thinking of shaming the government by organizing fundraisers and placing donation boxes in stores and banks for the CO’s with a comment that the current government is NOT paying enough for this important service.

Across the border, when travelling in the wilderness, you'll see rangers at any time, and quite frequently. What gives? The cuts announcement just came down a week ago. It does not affect the current budget for this month. From next month onward it will a different story.

[horshur]

they should raise prices then and the licence fees go direct to enforcement....I am a cheap SOB but would pay more....and then they should fire the guy that wrote up the budget...gas is actually down from last year.

I don't approve of throwing money away at government bureaucracy however do not mind spending on what I value..

[Jelvis]

Ah ha hey horshur, you don't have to wait for them to put the fee's up.
Just send a cheque to moe. why wait lol -- Just joking brah.

[GoatGuy]

If you guys are worried about COs just wait til you see what the funding for inventory. Just like LEH, NIL!

Keep cutting back, raising prices, cutting opportunity and ending up with less hunters.

Welcome to being on the back side of the power curve.

[huntwriter]

they should raise prices then and the licence fees go direct to enforcement

That right there is the problem with our system. The revenue from the license sales is not, as it should be, designated for the wildlife department. Rising fees would not help the CO’s and the MOE, it would only help Gordo to pay for the Olympics.The money ends up in the general budget and can be used for anything the government chooses.

I would like to see a law that makes it mandatory for the government to dedicate all revenue made form hunting and fishing to the department of wildlife and fisheries.

[GoatGuy]

That right there is the problem with our system. The revenue from the license sales is not, as it should be, designated for the wildlife department. Rising fees would not help the CO’s and the MOE, it would only help Gordo to pay for the Olympics.The money ends up in the general budget and can be used for anything the government chooses.

I would like to see a law that makes it mandatory for the government to dedicate all revenue made form hunting and fishing to the department of wildlife and fisheries.

It'll all end up in education and healthcare at the end of the day.

The funding from licenses won't be enough and besides that it will all go to species at risk with the current movement. You know study it, turn it's habitat into houses and wonder why it disappears.

Time to start having the eco-terrorism industry start kicking in some $ especially for species at risk. That's where a pile of the revenue goes. F&W funding needs to be specific or the branch needs to become arms length from government. Certainly some risk but the alternative is very, very scarry.


We need serious change.

[huntwriter]

It'll all end up in education and healthcare at the end of the day.

The funding from licenses won't be enough and besides that it will all go to species at risk with the current movement. You know study it, turn it's habitat into houses and wonder why it disappears.

Time to start having the eco-terrorism industry start kicking in some $ especially for species at risk. That's where a pile of the revenue goes. F&W funding needs to be specific or the branch needs to become arms length from government. Certainly some risk but the alternative is very, very scarry.

We need serious change.

For all the reasons you motioned I would support a law similar to the Pittman-Robertson Act they have in the USA. The law demands that all revenue from license sales and the special sportsmen goods sales tax goes back into the DNR (US equivalent of Wildlife Services).

As you pointed out the alternative is scary and might just as well be the end of hunting and proper wildlife management. The problem with eco-terrorists and assorted anti hunters and animal rights activist organization is that they all mouth but will not spend a dime on any sort of wildlife and habitat conservation. They are into making money not spending it.

[GoatGuy]

For all the reasons you motioned I would support a law similar to the Pittman-Robertson Act they have in the USA. The law demands that all revenue from license sales and the special sportsmen goods sales tax goes back into the DNR (US equivalent of Wildlife Services).


Yes, I'm aware of it. Heck of a way to go. Something to work on.

[brianscott]

[quote=RiverBoatFantasy;444365] More CO's. To specifically target all the tattooed wierdo's packing guns in the hills. You go CO!

So, Since I have a tattoo and hunt, I am a gun packing tattooed wierdo and should be tageted by Co's ???

Come on...

Jelvis makes more sense than you.

[srupp]

hmmmm there IS an election coming up..time for a change..
schools shut down, classrooms cloesd or overcrowded, front line health care Professionals IE PARAMEDICS woefully underpaid and treated like Sh%^&&^!!!!Conservation officers BEGGING for fuel $$$

WHAT A CROCK OF POOP :evil:..

Yet Gordo and his bunch are giving away the province and FAILING to protect the most vulnerable the young , sick , while plowing BILLIONS into making Whistler millionaires even richer hell I cant even AFFORD to go to one event for the olymPIGS yet we will be paying for this for decades

PRIORITIES are all messed up BIG time...

Steven

[elkdom]

[quote=srupp;444706]hmmmm there IS an election coming up..time for a change..
schools shut down, classrooms cloesd or overcrowded, front line health care Professionals IE PARAMEDICS woefully underpaid and treated like Sh%^&&^!!!!Conservation officers BEGGING for fuel $$$

WHAT A CROCK OF POOP :evil:..

Yet Gordo and his bunch are giving away the province and FAILING to protect the most vulnerable the young , sick , while plowing BILLIONS into making Whistler millionaires even richer hell I cant even AFFORD to go to one event for the olymPIGS yet we will be paying for this for decades

PRIORITIES are all messed up BIG time...

take it easy "buddy", slow down before you pop a "valve"

breath in relax,
breath out relax,

aaaaa,,,haaaahhhh,, thats better

if it helps??? I hate the OlymPIGS also! and GORDO PigO too!:biggrin:

[BCBear]

One of the big things that is pi$$ing the CO's off is the fact that they cannot take the work truck home at night anymore. The bean counters have said that the trucks have to stay in the compound during non-work hours. Since a CO is on call 24 hours a day, that means if they get a call at night, they have to drive back to thier office, get a truck, and then head out to the call.

I have to talk to my neighbor about this, he brings his rig home all the time..maybe this is going into effect after the election?

[Schutzen]

About 10 years ago I did some number crunching that led me to believe at the time that there was approx 13 million (conservative est) generated from hunting/fishing licenses and tags.
This does not include fines, etc.
Of course since then things have gone up so it could now be in the region of 16+ million.
Yep its pretty bad that coin is not solely earmarked for the CO dept.
I wonder if they post those figures anywhere?

[blacklab]

CO's are only on call if they choose to be.
If they choose to live 1/2 hour from their office compound why should I pay their gas to go home for lunch or back and forth to work.
If they used their budget for the job we want them to do they have ample resources.

[eastkoot]

Driving a government vehicle home is not a big deal IF you reside within 32KM of your office or work place and the vehicle is used in your regular daily business. Outside that, you are required to report the extra miles as a taxable benefit, known as personnal use.. PHH rules and Gov't policy..

[wolverine]

I guess they figure with the proliferation of bunny huggers in this province that there is no need to fund enforcement. I mean, eveyone just wants to hug em and squeeze em don't they???

Seriously, this is nothing new. A friend of mine that has spend a career as a CO has gone through this bullshit many times.... even to the point of putting his own gas into the truck so he could go out to where he knew that poaching was going on but the Govt. of the day would not fund the enforcement on. When it comes to this stuff the Govt. really needs to be ashamed of it's record and needs to hear from all concerned.

[dedapair]

Go Lib's Go......

[Alec]

The best thing that could happen would be for the CO's to go back to being GAME WARDENS, then they could get back to doing the job we want them to do.

[kgriz]

Here's a thought........simplify the seasons and regulations and you would need less enforcement; there are so many stupid things in the synopsis that its mind boggling....no wonder the CO's are supposedly overworked.:shock:

[Bigbear]

I talked to the CO Branch and asked them about Axilury COs. There is a lot of older fellas like my self who are out in the bush quite abit and see lots,and ask why couldnt we be like a Aux CO. They sid that you have to Hve Law degrees, Post sec Ed . to Bad there los I guess

[kgriz]

Case in point.....How much time and resources were used up "dealing with" Marks short sheep AFTER it had been deemed legal by the DESIGNATE OF THE REGIONAL MANAGER. Even though it was a mistake it should and could have went away quick but no......self-righteous "hard core" sheep hunters had to push and push until the Gov't had to publicly deal with it at great time and expense I suspect....Brutal. But by god, you got him and now his sheep will be sold for about $2000 at the seizure auction to some taxidermist and probably sold to some rich foreigner...Great.

[kgriz]

I've heard through the grapevine that Forest Service Compliance and Enforcement people are being considered for "CO Status".....HMMM I have a couple of friends that would be OK but I've seen many that so wouldn't be.:shock:

[eastkoot]

No such thing as auxilary CO's. They just hired 5 permanent and using an elligibility list to hire 7-8 partime CO's to fill other jobs. As full time jobs become available, the part timers will take over those jobs. BTW, I just saw a RAPP van with 2 people in it driving around so I don't think the gas money is a problem!! As fo Forestry Enforcement people becoming CO's, no, but they may all be under a separate Provincial Ministry in the future.

[boyd050]

what a lot of people don't know, is that they are now grounded until after the election, gotta love how this province does things.... sad.... :mad:

[hunter1947]

what a lot of people don't know, is that they are now grounded until after the election, gotta love how this province does things.... sad.... :mad:


Reason being is we have people that don't know how to run the province http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon8.gif.

[rocksteady]

I've heard through the grapevine that Forest Service Compliance and Enforcement people are being considered for "CO Status.:shock:

All it will be is the authority to write tickets and such under the Co's varios Acts. They will not be packing guns and all that.

Under the Forest Act, for example, it will say something like " report to an official..." and then you look up the definition of "offical" and it will say Forest Official, Peace Officer, Conservation officer etc...None of the Acts that the CO's enforce have that provision written into them...

So, heres the choice....Amend the Acts by an Order in Council (all the MLA's get to vote on it) or give some C&E Folks the right written designation so that they can write tickets, etc....

The CO's are really getting pissed off. They are not allowed to even go in the bush, unless there is a complaint as outlined in Lance Sundquists email previously posted in this thread....

So, realistically, the Stewards of the fish/wildlife are not out in the bush...Not checking fisherman, bear hunters, etc....Looks like open season on anything...No bag limits on nothing....

Too bad someone did not pick up on this and use it in their election bid. Wonder what your local MLA would say if you called him and said that unless this changes, you will not vote for him....:eek::eek:

If they are willing to sideline the CO's...Who is next and how bad???How bad does Granny need a homecare worker??? Maybe not 5 days a week, maybe 1 is good enough????