Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Monitoring And Enforcement Of Laws And Policies In Canada: The Bad, The Ugly And How We Can Get To Good, Christianne Wilhelmson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The creation of strong environmental laws in BC and Canada has improved over the years, however the implementation of these laws is often undermined and their effectiveness to protect ecosystems and communities suffers. The reasons are many but often it’s a question of underfunding of the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms that are necessary to ensure compliance. Other reasons, in particular for regulations that apply to marine and freshwater systems, is the lack of clarity around jurisdictional responsibility and accountability. The confusion around roles, exacerbated by poor communication, results in poor monitoring and response, and laws that are paper dragons only. …