110 Years of Service

Last updated on April 3, 2019

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From very humble beginnings, with no budget and mostly volunteer staff, the department and its successors have grown considerably over the past 110 years into the Conservation Officer Service (COS) of today.

As the government appointed guardians of British Columbia’s environment, the COS is a highly skilled and dedicated workforce that is currently responsible for over 20 provincial and federal environmental statutes.

Our motto, “Integrity, Service and Protection”, sums up in simple terms how the agency deals with the complex challenges of modern-day environmental law enforcement.

Below are key dates and events from 1905-2015 in the history of our organization. Due to a close relationship to environmental law enforcement, these milestones also mark related developments in the history of British Columbia’s fish and wildlife management:

1905-1918, The Beginning (PDF, 7.3MB)
1918-1929, BC Police Years (PDF, 6.7MB)
1929-1957, Game Department (PDF, 21.6MB)
1957-1980, The Branch (PDF, 18.1MB)
Program Names Through the Years (PDF)
Enforcement Chiefs, 1905-2005 (PDF)
Armorial Bearings (PDF)

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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110 Years of Service

Key Dates and Events