18 conservation officers represented by OPSEU/SEFPO visited Queen’s Park on October 27, 2022 with a message for MPPs: Conservation officers need fair pay now to address staff retention problems.
Hosted by Michael Mantha, NDP MPP and opposition critic for Natural Resources, the conservation officers brought their concerns to Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Graydon Smith, Premier Doug Ford, and their own MPPs.
The issue
Conservation officers are peace officers who work for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and protect Ontario’s natural resources including wildlife, fish, crown lands and forests. They have Ontario Police College training and enforce all laws related to natural resources and public safety.
But they are paid up to $31,000 less than OPP officers, despite having the same training, being the only OPS employees to carry firearms and doing similar work, including investigating shootings and crime scenes, collecting forensic evidence, and carrying out arrests. It has led to severe retention problems, as experienced conservation officers leave for careers and agencies that pay better.
Download flyer: Conservation Officers need fair pay now (PDF)
Breakfast meeting
OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick opened a breakfast meeting with the Conservation Officers and MPPs by urging the government to rescind Bill 124, the wage cap legislation that made it impossible to fix the long-standing wage issue in the most recent round of bargaining.
Conservation Officer and Ontario Conservation Officers Association (OCOA) President Matt McVittie and Ministry Employee Relations Committee chair Christopher Bierman both spoke on behalf of OPSEU/SEFPO about the specialized work Conservation Officers do, and their years of attempts to resolve the wage issue.
MPP Mantha, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, and Minister Smith also addressed the group. Afterwards, Conservation Officers had an opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with the several dozen MPPs present over breakfast about the way the wage issue has lowered morale in their workplaces.
Question Period
MPP Mantha introduced the Conservation Officers in the Legislature by name, and asked Minister Smith during Question Period why the government has not taken steps to align conservation officer pay with comparable positions like OPP officers, and whether he has a plan to recruit and retain conservation officers.
Minister Smith responded that he values their work, is open to further discussion, and that his ministry will review their classification, but did not commit to rectifying the pay issue.
Meeting with the Minister and other MPPs
Minister Graydon Smith met with several conservation officers while they were at Queen’s Park. While he made no specific commitments on the pay issue, he committed to meet with them again on the issue.
Several other MPPs met with the conservation officers throughout the day and heard their concerns. Many expressed dismay when they learned that conservation officers have been trying to resolve the wage issue for decades for reclassification and higher pay, in line with similar positions inside and outside the Ontario Public Service, and the OPP.
OPSEU/SEFPO conservation officers came away from the meetings feeling resolved to continue the fight for fair pay. President Hornick committed to ensuring that conservation officers continue to have the opportunity to share their views directly with the lawmakers who have the power to make decisions that either support or deny them better workplace conditions and adequate compensation.
