The duties and responsibilties of Law Branch may be sum- 

 marized as follows. 



• Policy: Establishing and reviewing Department policy with 

 respect to legislation, regulations or administration; and 

 integrating Department policies into those of the Govern- 

 ment. 



• Interpretation of statutes and regulations. 



• Advice to branches and field offices on the legal position 

 of the Department in all matters affecting it. 



• Preparation and Processing of agreements; briefs, opinions 

 and memoranda on special subjects; leases; legislation; 

 licences; office consolidations of statutes and regulations; 

 pleadings; recommendations to Council; and regulations 

 under the various statutes administered by the Department. 



• Services (miscellaneous): Collection of bad accounts; con- 

 ducting litigation; conveyancing; representing the Depart- 

 ment as Counsel m Provincial Land Tax Appeals and other 

 hearings; settlements of claims and disputes; and title 

 searching. 



• Liaison with federal officials on matters concerning fish- 

 eries; federal canal systems, harbours and lands; and Indian 

 reserves and rights of Indians, particularly regarding hunting 

 and fishing. 



• Patents Office: Maintenance of records of Crown land and 

 transactions respecting, and legal dispositions of Crown 

 lands; advising the public on records; compilation of statis- 

 tics; and preparation and engrossing of documents dispos- 

 ing of Crown land including leases, letters patent and li- 

 cences of occupation. 



LEGISLATION 



At the part of the Session of the Legislature that commenced 

 on the 6th day of October, 1970, and prorogued on the 13th 

 day of November, 1970, three statutes administered by the 

 Department were amended. 



THE FORESTRY AMENDMENT ACT, 1970 



Section 1 of The Forestry Act was amended by adding a new 

 clause ab defining "municipality" so as to include a district 

 and a regional municipality. 



This Act came into force on November 13, 1970, and 

 appears in the 1970 annual statutes as Chapter 114. 



Aerial view of log booms, towed by tug, Sioux Lookout 

 Forest District. 



THE PROVINCIAL LAND TAX 

 AMENDMENT ACT, 1970 



Paragraph 10 of subsection 1 of section 3 of the Act was 

 amended to remove the liability to taxation of machinery 

 used for producing power for sale. 



Subsection 1 of said section 3 of the Act was further 

 amended by adding a new paragraph 16 exempting from 

 taxation community centres in territory without municipal 

 organization which have received grants under The Com- 

 munity Centres Act. 



This Act came into force on January 1, 1970, and appears 

 in the 1970 annual statutes as Chapter 116. 



THE TREES AMENDMENT ACT, 1970 

 Section 1 of The Trees Act was amended by adding a new 

 clause a defining the term "county" so as to include a district 

 and a regional municipality and a new clause fa defining 

 "forestry purposes." 



This Act came into force on November 13, 1970, and 

 appears in the 1970 annual statutes as Chapter 115. 



At the part of the Session of the Legislature that com- 

 menced on the 30th day of March, 1971, and adjourned on 

 the 28th day of July, 1971, one statute administered by the 

 Department was enacted and amendments were made to 

 seven other statutes administered by the Department. 



THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, 1971 



The purpose of this new Act is to provide a programme for 

 the conservation, protection and propagation of species of 

 wildlife and plants that are threatened with extinction and 

 to protect the habitat of such species. 



Section 1 of the Act defines "Minister" as the Minister of 

 Lands and Forests and "officer" as a Conservation Officer or 

 Deputy Conservation Officer and includes a member of the 

 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force or the Ontario Pro- 

 vincial Police Force. 



Section 2 places the administration of the Act under the 

 control of the Minister of Lands and Forests. 



Section 3 authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council 

 to make regulations declaring any species of fauna or flora 

 to be threatened with extinction. 



Section 4 provides that an officer has the powers and 

 duties of an officer under The Game and Fish Act, 1961-62. 



Section 5 creates an offence for wilfully killing or destroy- 

 ing a species of fauna or flora declared to be threatened 

 with extinction. 



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