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Compliance & Enforcement

Range Health

Lands Division is responsible for land use, resource exploration and extraction or harvesting of renewable and non-renewable resources as approved under the following Acts and associated regulations:

This typically includes:

  • Agricultural Activities
  • Commercial Activities
  • Geophysical Activities
  • Industrial (Oil & Gas) Activities
  • Recreational Activities
  • Timber Activities

Compliance is achieved by ensuring that:

  1. Land uses, resource exploration and extraction/harvesting activities receive the appropriate approvals
  2. The approval holder knows and understand all of the requirements

However, if legislation is violated, Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) may respond to the violation(s) using various enforcement tools provided within the legislation.

Educational efforts are generally used as a first approach to prevent non-compliance of this legislation. However, when violations are more serious and/or recurring, and educational efforts are no longer effective, the SRD may respond using available enforcement tools.

Enforcement response options vary depending on the seriousness and type of violation. Civil enforcement tools are commonly used and generally include:

  • Administrative penalties
  • Cancelling or refusing to renew a disposition
  • Issuance of Enforcement Orders to remediate, vacate or do whatever is required to bring a situation into compliance
  • Withdrawal of land from an agricultural disposition
  • Written warnings

Criminal enforcement responses are less commonly used; however, violators may be prosecuted for certain offences under the above-mentioned Acts.

Regardless of the method of enforcement used, SRD is committed to ensuring that:

  • Any damages are remediated
  • Continuing violations are prevented
  • Enforcement is effective
  • Land uses for access to environmental resources comply with the legislation

When an administrative penalty is assessed under the Public Lands Act or Forests Act, there are provisions for the public disclosure of:

  • A description of the violation
  • The amount of the administrative penalty
  • The municipality in which the person resides
  • The name of the person

For more information about compliance and enforcement:

 

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Updated: Oct 20, 2009