This year marks 10 years of publishing environmental enforcement summaries by the Province. The milestone recognizes the efforts to ensure compliance by taking enforcement action against those who harm the environment.

B.C.’s Quarterly Environmental Enforcement Summary (QEES) is published four times a year listing charges and fines for violations such as hunting and fishing without a licence, open burning out of season, illegal mud bogging and introducing waste into the environment.

Since 2006, over 23,000 enforcement actions have resulted in more than $9 million in fines from violations of non-compliance and causing harm to the environment.

Last year saw the highest total of tickets and fines issued since the Province began publishing environmental enforcement results. In the fourth quarter of 2015 alone over $250,000 in penalties were issued to individuals and businesses as a result of actions such as breaching regulations and failing to comply.

Each quarter, the summaries are proactively posted online, providing information and ensuring British Columbians are informed of the Province’s environmental enforcement actions. Additionally, publishing this report further deters businesses and individuals from breaking environmental laws.

The Province also produces an annual overdue environmental court penalties report, which lists the names of individuals and business that have unpaid environmental penalties. This report is another tool to increase the collection of fines, increasing the rigour of government’s compliance regime.  

Quotes:

Mary Polak, Minister of Environment –

“The province’s treasured natural resources are enjoyed by British Columbians every day. This year is the 10th anniversary of environmental enforcement reporting in our province. We will continue our leading edge reporting on environmental enforcement actions and make those who have harmed the environment pay.”   

Quick Facts:

• In the fourth quarter of 2015 (Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2015)  ministry enforcement actions include:
  • four orders
  • 78 administrative sanctions
  • two administrative penalties
  • 589 tickets
  • 24 court convictions.
• In addition to publishing names of offenders in the overdue environmental court penalties report, government is putting liens on property of those who owe and revoking hunting and angling licences to ensure that the collection rate continues to rise.
• The overdue environmental court penalties report is the first of its kind in North America and is meant to provide additional incentive to those with overdue environmental court penalties to pay them.

Learn More:

For more information on environmental reporting, please visit: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/research-monitoring-reporting/reporting/environmental-enforcement-reporting

To view the Overdue Environmental Court Penalties report, visit: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/research-monitoring-reporting/reporting/environmental-enforcement-reporting/overdue-court-penalty-payment