e-5182 (Environment)

Petition to the Government of Canada

• 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.