Natural Resource officers across the province just got new uniforms.
“It’s a huge awareness piece,” Compliance and Enforcement branch regional manager Rebecca Misener said of the change.
“It was so critically important because we weren’t clearly identifiable from a distance previous to this.”
Natural Resource officers protect B.C.’s forest, land, water and cultural heritage resources.
“Cultural heritage resources don’t necessarily have to be registered with government to still be protected,” Misener said. “If somebody is aware of a cultural heritage resource that’s very important to them or to their community … if for some reason that’s being impacted in a negative way then they should contact us.”
The style update costs $195,000 in total, or $1,500 per officer. The new uniforms include three pairs of pants, five shirts, soft-shell and hard shell jackets, and one pair of rain pants and insignia.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development said the new uniforms are designed for men and women, while the old uniforms were designed for men only and given the custom colours harder to replace.
Natural resource violations can be reported by calling 1-877-952-7277 or by submitting a report online at gov.bc.ca/natural-resource-officers.