The Endangered Species Act

The purposes of The Endangered Species Act are to ensure the protection and enhance the survival of threatened and endangered species in Manitoba; enable reintroduction of extirpated species into the province; and designate species as threatened, endangered, extirpated or extinct. This legislation may be applied to any mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, or plant, living or dead. The Act is binding on the Crown and Crown agencies and applies to all lands in Manitoba. A species is not protected until such time as it has been declared by regulation under the Act to be threatened, endangered, extirpated or extinct.

Provision is made in the Act for appointment of an advisory committee to be known as the Endangered Species Advisory Committee. The role of the committee is to advise the minister in respect to species that are threatened, endangered, extirpated or extinct or whose habitats are endangered, and species that should be declared threatened, endangered, extirpated or extinct, among other matters.

Once a species has been declared by regulation as being threatened, endangered or extirpated, it is unlawful to kill, injure, possess, disturb or interfere with the species; destroy, disturb or interfere with the habitat of the species; or damage, destroy, obstruct or remove a natural resource on which the species depends for its life and propagation

Currently, there is one Order-in-Council (O/C) regulation under this Act, administered by Wildlife Branch. This regulation declares species as threatened, endangered or extirpated. O/C regulations govern other matters such as preservation and survival of habitat and entry into a designated area that is occupied by a declared species.