Released on September 8, 2016
Conservation officer recruits from western Canada will be calling Saskatchewan home for the next several months.The Western Conservation Law Enforcement Academy (WCLEA) gets underway on September 8 at Candle Lake Golf Resort, where 22 recruits from Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory will take part in a 16 week training program aimed at delivering common training standards and curriculum to conservation officer recruits.
“Our government is proud to be hosting WCLEA for the second consecutive year,” Environment Minister Scott Moe said. “Conservation officers provide a vital service in Saskatchewan and this allows them to be trained here at home. This is a great opportunity to showcase the province’s facilities and ability to host this type of training. It also exposes trainees and out-of-province instructors to Saskatchewan’s hospitality, along with our spectacular wildlife and natural habitat.”
Prior to being accepted to WCLEA, recruits need to complete a two year diploma in resource environmental law and are sent by their provincial agency to attend the training. Since the inception of the program in 2007, WCLEA has trained 52 Saskatchewan conservation officers that are currently working in the field for the Ministry of Environment.
“The most important outcome is that participating agencies will know that they have fully qualified conservation officers ready to go to work in the field, equipped to handle all types of situations,” Moe said.
Provincial conservation officers are uniformed law enforcement officers and special constables with full police powers. By working with local residents, they help protect Saskatchewan’s environment and our rich natural resources.
There are 134 permanent and 52 seasonal conservation officers in Saskatchewan.
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For more information, contact:
Ron Podbielski
Environment
Regina
Phone: 306-787-6595
Email: ron.podbielski@gov.sk.ca