20 per cent job vacancy at Conservation Officer Service prompts wage boost

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This article was published 14/03/2023 (1247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s complement of conservation officers has declined by more than a dozen in the past year, prompting the Tory government to spend nearly $5 million to increase wages and attract new recruits.

“We want to reopen district offices. We want to ensure that our manpower in detachments is high enough that we have coverage in the rural areas,” Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt said.

On Tuesday, the minister was forced to explain why the Conservation Officer Service had a 20.6 per cent job vacancy rate as of January, up significantly from little more than seven per cent one year earlier.

“Conservation officers are integral to ensuring that Manitobans are able to safely hunt, fish and enjoy our parks,” NDP critic Tom Lindsey said in question period. “Over 20 per cent of conservation officer positions remain empty despite promises by this minister and this government.”

Lindsey tabled statistics from Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development showing 21 positions were vacant, out of 102, at the end of January.

The NDP critic said the complement has fallen to its lowest levels in two years, and argued the Progressive Conservatives have failed to prioritize the service.

Speaking after question period, Nesbitt attributed the rapid exodus of officers to a spate of retirements. Non-competitive entry-level wages and salaries for conservation officers also led to an “inability to recruit” to fill positions, he said.

The minister said an additional $4.9 million has been budgeted in the next fiscal year to offer wage increases and make the conservation officer service a more attractive workplace.”

The department has also loosened academic requirements and qualifications for new conservation officers, as part of efforts to attract people to the profession. It has a goal of adding 37 new conservation officers to the complement by 2025.

Nesbitt said he expects wages to be brought into alignment with Saskatchewan, where Manitoba conservation officers most frequently relocate to. Proposed changes to income taxes in the 2023-24 budget will also help, he said.

“We’ll be certainly close to (Saskatchewan) in the end and comparative with Alberta, as well.”

Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union president Kyle Ross said conservation officers on the job are overworked, owing to vacancies and workers are relocating to other provinces. He agreed pay has not been competitive.

“For the members that work in conservation, when they’re called out to do work for night hunting, they called in the next day without the proper rest. They’re working overtime, they’re working longer hours than may be recommended and it’s very difficult for these members,” Ross said. “They’re burning out.”

Collective agreements for approximately 17,000 MGEU members expire at the end of March, including about 11,000 members of the civil service.

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation, however, was optimistic about the future of the Conservation Officer Service.

Managing director Carly Deacon said the government has acted on all of the federation’s recent recommendations for service improvements, to some extent. The federation represents hunters, anglers, trappers and sport shooters in Manitoba.

“Those vacancies, to us, yes, of course, are a concern, but they have made such incredible strides in the past two years to address those vacancies that we feel extremely positive about all of it,” Deacon said.

“We’re at a place where we’re looking forward to seeing all these new hires come to Manitoba and want to stay in Manitoba because they have the ability and means to do their job well and they’re paid competitively.”

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca