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Conservation Officers

 
 

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For more than 100 years, Conservation Officers have been protecting Ontario's natural resources from waste, abuse and depletion.

 

It's a big job. 

 

Ontario's Conservation Officers patrol a province of more than one million square kilometers, protecting wildlife as diverse as polar bears in the north and prickly pear cactus in south. In between are 250,000 lakes, hundreds of rivers and a vast expanse of forests.

 

What is it like to be one of Ontario's 273 Conservation Officers? And how can anglers, hunters and anyone who values our natural resources help them in their work?

 

Let's take a closer look.

 

Who They Are

 

Ontario's Conservation Officers (COs) are specialists who understand how valuable our natural heritage is. Their job is to preserve and protect the province's natural resources. They are a force of educated, highly skilled, and well trained officers.
 

What They Do

 

Some of the main duties of a CO are to:

 

  • enforce the laws protecting our resources
  • educate the public
  • present evidence in court.


A CO's job is to ensure abuses of Ontario's natural resources are stopped so that legitimate users can continue to enjoy and benefit from them.

 

A CO may investigate and prosecute offenders under many federal and provincial statutes relating to:

 

  • fire
  • wildlife
  • parks
  • timberlands, and,
  • aggregates (sand and gravel) 

 

Background

 
It began in 1892, with four Game Wardens (as they were then called), who for $10 a month patrolled an area of over one million square kilometers.

 

In more than a century, the province has seen many changes.

 

Those first four wardens would have been proud to know that today's resources are looked after by 265 COs using the newest technology and equipment, while still loving the out-of-doors.
 

Methods

 

Enforcement has come a long way since 1892. Investigations make use of the latest in technological advances, including:

 

  • DNA analysis
  • scientific content statement analysis
  • forensic firearms examinations
  • robotic surrogate wildlife (decoys)
  • computer modeling, and,
  • psychological profiling.

 

There is now a specially trained investigations unit with the capacity to focus on major resource abusers.

 

Ontario's five canine units are extremely important in helping field officers detect violators, and the CO/Pilot program allows officers to conduct patrols from the air instead of from a land-based truck.
 

Why Ontario Has Conservation Officers

 

Conservation Officers are here to help the public understand their rights and privileges as resource users.

 

They are front-line representatives of Ontario's natural resources, protecting and conserving them for the benefit of all Ontarians today and for future generations.

 

Conservation Officers enforce the laws and educate the public about wildlife and general outdoor information.

Conservation Officers protect the constitutional rights of all Ontario's people as they relate to the use of natural resources.

They also protect public health and safety in natural resource emergency situations.

 

Ontario Conservation Officers are men and women who provide enforcement services sensitive to the needs of the communities they serve. They also promote respect for province's natural heritage. Their goal is conservation and protection, in consultation with resource management partners, for the good of all Ontario.

 

There are two major ways in which anglers and hunters can assist Conservation Officers in their work:

 

 

Interested in Becoming a Conservation Officer?


Becoming an Ontario Conservation Officer requires training.

 

You must be a graduate of a two-year Natural Resources Technician Program (or equivalent) to qualify for a CO position. There are a number of post-secondary schools that offer the resource management courses you need. The following schools offer Resource Technician Programs in Ontario: