New Administrative Penalties Under BC’s Environmental Management Act And Integrated Pest Management Act

Effective June 23, 2014, new administrative penalties may be issued for breaches of certain provisions of British Columbia's Environmental Management Act, the Integrated Pest Management Act, and permits issued under these Acts. Administrative penalties are an increasingly popular means of enforcing environmental obligations because they may be issued without having to establish liability through a court process.

Under the new law, a person may not apply for or amend a permit or approval until the administrative penalty is paid in full. The Ministry of Environment will also publish names, reasons for penalty, and penalty amounts in the publicly searchable Environmental Violations database and the Quarterly Environmental Enforcement Summaries.