Nearly five years ago to the day, then-Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant famously refused an order to unnecessarily kill two healthy bear cubs; he was suspended, effectively fired and eventually left government service entirely. But just a few weeks ago, justices in BC's appellant court ruled that the province did not play by their own rules, meaning Bryce has been, in a word, vindicated. Today, Bryce shared the story of how doing the right thing left him in a legal battle with the province that lasted over four and a half years.

Additionally, Bryce recently successfully defended his doctoral thesis – which happens to look, in part, at the history of the Conservation Officer Service and how they went from game wardens to an armed law enforcement agency.

In this in-depth conversation, Bryce and I discuss the background and decision of his court case, the need to have hard conversations about less visible law enforcement agencies, legislative hide and seek, mission creep, and how it feels to be vindicated.

This episode is sponsored by AnimalStone! A family-owned and operated business based in Toronto, AnimalStone handmakes gorgeous charms of animals – and gives back a portion of proceeds to non-profits working to protect those animals! Even better, the metals used are ethically sourced in Canada and often come from recycled materials. Listeners of Defender Radio can get 10% off their order by using promo code DEFENDERRADIO at AnimalStone.com. Learn more about this great company and their beautiful jewellery at AnimalStone.com.

Conservation officer suspended for refusing to kill bear cubs: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bryce-casavant-conservation-officer-suspended-for-refusing-to-kill-bear-cubs-1.3141652

No charges against Coquitlam residents accused of obstructing conservation officers: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/no-charges-against-coquitlam-residents-accused-of-obstructing-conservation-officers-1.4792991

Casavant v. British Columbia Labour Relations Board), 2020 BCCA 159: https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/ca/20/01/2020BCCA0159.htm