We wish to highlight some of our work with the government and the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) so the guide community is better informed about the advocacy work we do for our community.

Commercial bear viewing is not currently a regulated industry in British Columbia. Unlike whale watching, which is federally regulated, there is no licensing body and no statute that governs how bear viewing operators and guides must conduct themselves in the field. The CBVA’s Best Practices and Guide Certification exist because our industry chose to self-regulate and set the standard for wildlife viewing; because everything we do comes back to bears and their well-being.

If commercial bear viewing is ever formally regulated in this province, the BCCOS is the agency that would hold that authority. They already regulate human-wildlife conflict and enforce the Wildlife Act. Our work today helps shape what that regulatory relationship could look like tomorrow.

With this in mind, the CBVA has worked hard at building a working relationship with BCCOS. This isn’t a special arrangement or insider access; we have no more standing with them than any other stakeholder, but it does give us a voice at the table. What we have is a rapport we’ve built through direct engagement and things like our annual visits bringing conservation officers to Knight Inlet Lodge to train and learn firsthand about bear viewing and our values. That work has let BCCOS understand our industry directly: what we do, how our guides conduct themselves in the field, how we assess and respond to bear behaviour, how thorough our training is, and the role we play in a sustainable tourism economy.

This work has produced some real outcomes for bears. BCCOS has reviewed and updated their language on bear response, worked collaboratively with the CBVA to promote sustainable bear viewing rather than self-guided experiences, they remain open to joining us in meetings focused on proactive initiatives for bears, and they have also reached out directly for information about our industry and review conduct they’ve seen in the field. These outcomes depend entirely on BCCOS continuing to see us as credible and professional and helping us to advocate for improvement in the process.

The CBVA has worked hard at building rapport and reputation with provincial agencies and elected officials. Advocating for the closure of the grizzly bear hunt took years of sustained and coordinated effort; a reminder of how long real change in this space takes, and how much patience and persistence it demands, from multiple viewpoints. Our mission has always been to promote sustainable, responsible bear viewing, and we believe that mission is best served by a credible, working relationship with the agency most likely to shape this industry’s future. This vision was developed and built through our board and implemented by staff. It’s something we can all be proud of.

Our Guide Code of Conduct, implemented on May 18, 2026, and sent to you via newsletter, asks that CBVA affiliation or certification not be referenced when advocating for personal views, including (but not limited to) in media, public forums, websites or lobbying, and including advocacy directed at BCCOS or the province.

READ THE FULL CODE OF CONDUCT

We’d like to illustrate what this means. Every guide is encouraged to hold personal views and advocate on wildlife management, provincial policy, and specific incidents. We genuinely encourage you to use your voice when you feel it will benefit the bears; the Code says so explicitly. The distinction is simply this: personal advocacy should stand on its own, not be lent weight by invoking CBVA status. When that line gets blurred, it can put the whole engagement the membership relies on at risk, right at a moment when our industry’s future regulatory position may be taking shape.

To make this clearer, for example: saying “I’ve spent ten seasons guiding grizzly bear viewing, and I think this decision puts bears at risk, here’s why” is exactly the kind of statement you are fully free to make. This vs. saying “as a CBVA-certified guide, my interpretation of this situation is that it is not right” is the version the Code asks you to avoid; not because the criticism itself is off-limits, but because it puts CBVA’s institutional credibility behind an individual’s position without the Association having agreed to it.

A recent situation prompted us to revisit this. Rather than treat it as an isolated disciplinary matter, we want to use it as a chance to reset together as a community, because the strength of this rapport benefits every guide and every bear, not just the CBVA.

If you have existing posts, website content, or other public material that references the CBVA in connection with personal advocacy, please review and remove that content immediately (by Friday, August 14, 2026).

If you’re ever unsure where the line sits, reach out to the CBVA staff before publishing, contacting media, or engaging in advocacy. We’re genuinely happy to talk it through with you beforehand; this is a conversation we’d much rather have in advance than after the fact.

If you come across content from others that you think may misrepresent the CBVA or run against the Code, please flag it for us so we can address it constructively.

We’re not looking to police your advocacy; we’re looking to protect the space that lets our industry keep advocating for bears effectively. Government is more receptive to suggestions and meaningful change when concerns are brought forward through respectful, constructive dialogue, and we want to ensure those opportunities continue to exist for our industry. Continued breaches may still lead to disciplinary steps under the Guide Code of Conduct, but our first move will always be to work through it with you.

Thank you for the work you do every day and for the professionalism you bring to this industry. The reputation of commercial bear viewing is something we all build together, and we appreciate the role each of you plays in keeping it strong for years to come.