Bylaw officers have the authority to enter onto and into and inspect private property. This authority is found in section 16 of the Community Charter which applies to regional districts by virtue of section 284 of the Local Government Act. The Court of Appeal has held that no warrant is required for administrative searches such as those carried out under section 16 because there is no stigma attached to such a search and the subject matter is not serious enough to require that a judge authorize the search.
It is well established that bylaw officers are peace officers as defined in section 2 of the Criminal Code of Canada when acting in the course of their duties. This was confirmed as recently as 2009 in R. v. Jozef Baksay.
In R. v. Turko , the court concluded that bylaw officers, while acting in the course of their duties, have the authority to demand identification. This is an important issue, because should a matter go to trial, it will be necessary to prove the identity of the accused before a conviction can be obtained.
Many local governments have fines for not providing identification to a bylaw officer. In addition, as in R. v. Turko , those that fail to provide identification can also be charged under section 129 (a) of the Criminal Code of Canada for Obstruction of a Peace Officer.
In R. v. Turko , the courts found that bylaw officers were peace officers when acting in the course of their duties and that officers had the authority to detain the accused for the purposes of obtaining identification and to arrest the accused for an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.
In Woodward v. Capital Regional District , the court considered whether the use of force by bylaw officers during an arrest were “grossly excessive”. The judge found that bylaw officers were justified in using force.
Section 48 of the Community Charter provides for the seizure of animals that are:
(i) unlicensed, if there is a requirement that they be licensed,
(ii) unlawfully at large on a highway or in a public place,
(iii) straying or trespassing on private property, or
(iv) on unfenced land and not securely tethered or contained.
Complaints of misconduct by a bylaw officer or a department must be addressed through the local government. The public may also file a complaint if they believe they have been treated unfairly through the British Columbia Office of the Ombudsperson.