The British Columbia Film Classification Office, part of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority in the Canadian province of British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 under the Motion Picture Act (MP Act) of BC. The BCFCO ratings are also used by Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

 under the terms of a bilateral agreement. Beginning on January 1, 1997, the BCFCO used the following motion picture rating system

Motion picture rating system

A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content...

 (based on the Canadian Home Video Rating System

Canadian Home Video Rating System

The Canadian Home Video Rating System is a voluntary rating classification system applied to home video products such as VHS and DVDs. It is administered by the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association and as such they appear on American home videos distributed in Canada and not genuine...

) for theatrical releases:

• General. Suitable for viewing by persons of all ages. Occasional violence, swearing and coarse language, and the most innocent of sexually suggestive scenes and nudity, are permitted in this category. (Similar to the US rating
  MPAA film rating system
  The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA system applies only to motion pictures that are submitted for rating. Other media may be rated by other entities...
  
  or the lower end of the PG rating)
• Parental Guidance. Parental guidance advised. Theme or content may not be suitable for all children although there is no age restriction. Motion pictures in this category may contain less subtle sexually suggestive scenes and nudity and a more realistic portrayal of violence than in the General category; coarse language may occur more often than in the General category. (Similar to the high end of the PG rating and lower end of the PG-13 rating in the US)
• 14A. Suitable for persons 14 years of age or older. Persons under 14 years of age must view these motion pictures accompanied by an adult. Motion pictures in this category may contain violence, coarse language or sexually suggestive scenes, or any combination of them. (Similar to the high end of the PG-13 rating and lower end of the R rating in the US)
• 18A. Persons under 18 years of age must view these motion pictures accompanied by an adult. Motion pictures in this category will contain horror, explicit violence, frequent coarse language or scenes that are more sexually suggestive than in the 14A category, or any combination of them. (Similar to the R rating in the US, although American NC-17 films such as Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers" would likely get this rating as well)
• Restricted. Restricted to persons 18 years of age and over. Persons under 18 years of age are not permitted to attend under any circumstances. These motion pictures are “adult motion pictures”, as defined in the Act, and may contain explicit sexual scenes, violence or scenes referred to in Section 5(3) of the Act, or any combination of them. The director will assign this classification to motion pictures if the director considers that the theme, subject matter or plot of the adult motion picture is artistic, historical, political, educational or scientific. (Similar to the NC-17 rating in the US, although actual usage will vary)
• Adult - Restricted to persons 18 years of age and over. Persons under 18 years of age are not permitted to attend under any circumstances. These motion pictures are “adult motion pictures”, as defined in the Act, and may contain explicit sexual scenes or scenes of brutality or torture to persons or animals, or any combination of them, that are portrayed in a realistic and explicit manner; however, the scenes would, in the director’s opinion, be tolerable to the community.

Titles in the "Restricted" and "Adult" categories have labelling and/or display restrictions under the Motion Picture Act for home video retailing purposes, but not those rated 18A or below.

The B.C. Film Classification Office originated the restricted cougar symbol in the 1970s as an icon that audiences could easily associate with the "Restricted" category. The B.C. Film Classification Office chose the cougar not only for its dramatic presence but also its significance as the largest wild cat native to BC.