An elephant in the room subject that unfortunately doesn’t get much discussion, nor press, is the lack of binding protections for tree species, especially native tree species within so-called “building envelopes”.

We’ve been conditioned to think that construction and the concept of private property as an end in itself, is of a higher priority than natural protection.  No better example of this is the priority provided to building envelopes by municipalities in B.C., which allow them to be used to override the natural environment, regardless of the consequences.

With Bill 44 especially, the consequences of densification on trees and other flora and fauna in building envelopes, including endemic flora and fauna is poised to be disastrous to local biodiversity and for entire eco-systems and is bound to have a profoundly negative impact on human health in addition.

As a result, this petition started last year (several months prior to the recent housing bills being put forward), couldn’t be more crucial to protect the rapidly declining co-evolved eco-systems on Southern Vancouver Island from a profit-first development mindset that ignores the environmental consequences of an economic-growth vs. ecological balance mindset that has become sadly all-consuming…

Please sign the petition that the Province of B​.​C. Protect Native Tree Species within Building Envelopes.  Only as many signatures as possible can send a clear message to a government, which has done everything it can to ignore this critically important issue for environmental protection.

Petition · That the Province of B​.​C. Protect Native Tree Species within Building Envelopes – Canada · Change.org

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Sasha Izard considers that protecting the environment should be our highest priority. Not operating accordingly, will lead to a situation that will become existential to us as well.