British Columbia’s extensive coastline, from the Salish Sea to the Alaskan Border, supports vibrant ecosystems and many coastal communities. The coast is the vital interface between marine activities and their bases on land. Ocean-based activities contribute $17 billion annually to the BC economy and employ over 170,000 people in coastal communities.
But, despite its extensive responsibilities and the sheer importance of the coast and ocean to all who live here, the provincial government has no coordinated coastal strategy to guide regulation and policy. That is why we have launched a campaign with our partners at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS BC) – Blueprint for the Coast.
We’re calling for the creation of a new provincial coastal strategy and accompanying BC Coastal Protection Act, to be co-developed with Indigenous governments and coordinated with federal and local governments, as all orders of government share jurisdiction.
All orders of government – Indigenous, federal, provincial and local – have jurisdiction in coastal and marine areas under Canadian law, and each has an…
Oil spills pose a threat to marine wildlife and to the livelihoods of coastal communities. In the past several years, Canada has improved its ability to…
Millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year – and increasingly, this is being recognized as one of the main pollution threats to marine life.…