Compliance and enforcement for pesticides

Last updated on May 14, 2024

Learn how the province enforces pesticide requirements under the Integrated Pest Management Act and Regulation.

Find out how to report a pesticide related concern.

Compliance verification and enforcement

The requirements under the Integrated Pest Management Act (IPMA) and Integrated Pest Management Regulation (IPMR) are in place to protect the environment and human health from pesticides.

A person or business subject to these requirements is called a regulated party:

Learn about the provincial requirements under the IPMA and IPMR

Ensuring compliance with the IPMA and IPMR is a critical role played by provincial staff through:

Compliance promotion
Compliance verification
Compliance enforcement

The Compliance Management Framework and the Compliance and Enforcement Policy and Procedure outline the ministry’s approach to ensuring compliance:

How you know you're in compliance

You're in compliance when you follow the requirements in the IPMA and IPMR.

You may also go above and beyond the requirements by using best practices in your industry that promote environmental stewardship.

Compliance promotion is a key strategy in achieving voluntary compliance.

Learn about our shared responsibility (yours and the Ministry's) as it relates to environmental compliance.

How we verify compliance

Provincial inspectors conduct inspections to verify compliance with the IPMA and IPMR requirements. The Conservation Officer Service can also conduct inspections. The basic intent of an inspection is not to uncover non-compliance, but to confirm compliance.

Inspections may be part of routine business or may be in response to a complaint or incident. They can occur on-site, or may be an off-site review of submitted or requested data, and may form part of an audit of your sector. The inspector may plan the inspection in advance, or they may show up unannounced.

The inspector will send you a report outlining the results of the inspection. These reports are also published in the Natural Resource Compliance and Enforcement Database. Sector audit reports and compliance reports conducted under the IPMA are published on reports, publications and guides.

Discover what happens during an inspection.

How we enforce compliance

If a provincial inspector finds non-compliance with a requirement, they can use a variety of enforcement tools to get you to comply, including:

Issuing advisories and warnings
Referrals for orders, administrative monetary penalties, and administrative sanctions
Referrals for investigations by provincial enforcement staff

Inspectors use a risk-based model to determine which enforcement tool to use when they find non-compliance.

Find out how compliance is assessed and the enforcement tools that can be used to address non-compliance.

Provincial enforcement staff can use additional enforcement tools to address non-compliance. These tools are generally more prosecutorial in nature and include violation tickets, court convictions and restorative justice. Provincial enforcement staff can use these tools if they conduct an inspection or an investigation.

Find the results of compliance inspections and enforcement actions in the Natural Resource Compliance and Enforcement Database.

Find reports on sector audits conducted under the IPMA on reports, publications and guides.

Pesticide concerns

Misuse of pesticides

Several agencies can respond to concerns over pesticide misuse. See the How to report section on the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) page.

Whenever you're submitting a report of pesticide misuse, it's recommended that you:

Include as much detail about the incident as possible
Provide your contact information
- Staff responding to your report may have further questions
Attach or indicate if you have photos or videos of the incident

Pesticides currently registered for use

All pesticides used in Canada must be registered for use by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada (PMRA).

They conduct rigorous science-based evaluations of pesticides to ensure that they will not harm the environment or human health when the label directions are followed. They do these evaluations to register a pesticide for use and on a 15-year cycle after registration.

The public can view the information used to make pesticide regulatory decisions and can also participate in the regulatory process.

Access all publicly available information on pesticides currently registered for use in the Pesticide Public Registry.

Use the PMRA Public Engagement Portal forms for the following purposes:

General inquiries related to registered pesticides
Providing comment on proposed major registration decisions, such as new registrations or major new uses of a pesticide, re-evaluations or special reviews
Requesting to inspect confidential test data used to support pesticide registration decisions
- Note that you can only do this in the Reading Room at the PMRA’s headquarters in Ottawa
File a Notice of Objection for a major registration decision
- You can only do this within 60 days of a decision date and must include the scientific rationale for it

Pesticide emergencies

Poisoning

If the person is unconscious, having convulsions or having trouble breathing, call 9-1-1
If the person is awake, contact the BC Poison Control Centre right away: 1-800-567-8911
- Provide the following information:
  - Pesticide name
  - Active ingredient
  - Registration number
  - When the victim was poisoned
  - The type of exposure
  - Poisoning symptoms
If your pet has been poisoned, contact a veterinarian
If you have a dead animal you think has been poisoned, you can submit it to the Animal Health Centre for a fee

Spills

Contact the B.C. Environmental Emergency Program, toll-free in B.C.: 1-800-663-3456
- Find out what details the operator will ask for

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