Support what you love; get a tax receipt until February 28

  • This event has passed.

« All Events

December 26 is the last day to sign e-5182 (Environment) petition

A killdeer walks through some mud and water with some grass and water in the background.
Once abundant across North America, consistent declines of Killdeer populations have been observed since 1996 according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Photo by Ann Nightingale.

Initiated by Briony Penn from Saltspring Island, British Columbia.

Sign this petition

December 26, 2024 @ 7:00 am – 12:00 pm

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

  • Coastal areas are critical wildlife habitat used by birds for migration stopovers, overwintering, breeding, foraging and roosting;
  • The Greater Victoria area is on the Pacific Flyway, a major flyway for migratory birds from Alaska to Patagonia;
  • This coastal area supports many taxa including waterfowl, loons, grebes, gulls, shorebirds, raptors and passerines: some species are nationally threatened (Marbled Murrelets) and nationally vulnerable (Great Blue Herons);
  • Migratory birds face increasing pressures and significant, widespread population declines due to climate change, pollution and habitat loss;
  • Canadian shorebird populations have declined 42% since 1980 (Birds Canada/ECCC, 2024);
  • Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBS) are established under the five-nation Migratory Bird Convention Act to protect migratory birds and their nests, and studies confirm that migratory birds use habitat within all three MBS in the region both year-round and seasonally;
  • Greater Victoria hosts three MBS under federal authority: Victoria Harbour, Shoal Harbour, Esquimalt Lagoon;
  • A significant gap exists between the Victoria Harbour and the Shoal Harbour MBS;
  • This entire shoreline falls within the traditional territories of the WSÁNEC and Lekwungen Nations, who seek to strengthen their Indigenous marine stewardship rights and responsibilities through guardian programs; and
  • The internationally-designated Sidney Channel Important Bird Area recognizes the importance of MBS in maintaining global bird populations.

We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to establish a new Salish Sea Migratory Bird Sanctuary connecting the Victoria Harbour and Shoal Harbour MBS, to protect the millions of migratory birds and other wildlife and habitat along this shoreline.