Manitoba’s conservation officers will operate through a 24-7 dispatch service in the near future, the province said June 14.
In a joint release, Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt and Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said the move would “enhance officer safety in the field and strengthen environmental enforcement across the province.”
The province also promised to return a conservation district office to Brandon.
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“Manitoba’s conservation officers are on the front lines each day protecting both public safety and our province’s valuable natural resources. They often do this work alone in remote areas with limited, if any, cell service,” Nesbitt said.
The centralized dispatch service will provide a “lifeline” for those officers, Nesbitt added, and allow them to respond quickly to emergencies.
The dispatch service will be facilitated by a $1.2-million contract between the province and the Brandon Public-Safety Communication Centre, the release said. The contract spans three years, with the possibility of a two-year extension.
“Officer safety is a high priority for our well-trained staff of dispatchers and call-takers, so extending this protection to conservation officers is a natural step for both our organizations,” said Robert Stewart, director of emergency communications with the Brandon centre.
The centre already services emergency dispatches for seven police departments, 192 fire departments and the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Wildlife Service, according to the release.
Goertzen also tied the new service to improving cooperation in rural policing and emergency personnel.
The two ministers pointed to previous conservation and emergency services-related investments, including a 2018 promise to replace the old FleetNet communications system, $1.7 million in 2022 for equipment and technology, a $300,000 contract for helicopter enforcement against unsafe hunting and 11 unmarked vehicles for conservation officer use.
Tom Lindsey, the opposition NDP’s critic for natural resources and northern development, said the announcement “does nothing to address the staffing crisis” among Manitoba’s conservation officers.
He argued that the current government has yet to fill vacant officer positions as promised, noting “vacancies have more than doubled since 2021, with one in five positions currently empty,” Lindsey said in an emailed statement.
He added that conservation officer wages in Manitoba have fallen behind. The same jobs in Saskatchewan come with almost 30 per cent more pay, he said.
