PETITIONS
Start A Petitionbrowse
MENU

Save Canada's Green Emerald--Burns Bog!

In 2004 Canadians paid $73 million for a rare emerald--Burns Bog. This rare jewel sits in the middle of urban development filtering water to the Fraser Rivier, wafting cooling breezes and fresh air from Delta to Nanaimo to the North Shore and beyond. How do I know this? Well, in 1996 a fire started in July. Very shortly offices had to close in Vancouver because people couldn't breathe. In September 2005 another fire started. Thi...s time people in Delta and all the way to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island suffered from the effects of the smoke. Burns Bog is part of that small 3% of the world's peatlands. Like other peatlands it stores 10 times more carbon than any other

terrestrial ecosystem. Right now this precious jewel is about to be crushed by the South Fraser Perimeter Road. Already farmland and bogland has been destroyed but it is not too late to tell Prime Minster Stephen Harper that as the seniour government it must stop the destruction of Canada's peatlands and move this road some where else or create other forms of transportation.

read petition letter ▾

Burns Bog in Delta, British Columbia is internationally recognized as "globally unique due to its size, location and chemistry" (Burns Bog ecosystem review, 2000) and referred to as the "lungs of the lower mainland" by international peatland expert, Dr. David Bellamy. Burns Bog has historical and cultural significance to the First Nations of the region. It is one of the last urban green spaces in the area that we have to enjoy.


The Governments of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, the Metro Vancouver Regional District and the Corporation of Delta entered into a covenant and management plan to restore the raised bog ecosystem and maintain its integrity. With the construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road already underway, this covenant and management plan is not being upheld. The lagg and natural hydrology are already being adversely affected with the drainage that is taking place. Bog hydrology and hydrochemsitry, and wildlife and wildlife habitat are being destroyed. Adverse effects on wildlife include noise and visual disturbance, loss, alteration or fragmentation of habitat, changes in wildlife movement patterns, and wildlife deaths.


We the undersigned want the government to honour the Conservation Covenant by maintaining the ecological integrity of Burns Bog and immediately stopping construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road. Not only is this highway extremely destructive, but it is also unnecessary. It has been proven many times that building more roads does not ease congestion in the long run. In most of the areas there is not even any congestion to be eased! Besides this, there have been many feasible alternatives suggested that have been unjustifiably rejected.


Please do everything in your power to protect Burns Bog, for us, here today, and for future generations. Please keep in mind that once it is gone, it can never be replaced. BC prides itself on being beautiful and green, and with projects like the SFPR, can we really make such claims? Stop the South Fraser Perimeter Road.

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.