ADAM OLSEN - Rather than leaning into the jurisdictional quagmire that has created a ‘can't do’ culture in Canada, we have a responsibility to find ways to empower communities and citizens
I am deeply saddened to learn of the devastatingly
low returns of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River this summer. Federal
fisheries officials predicted approximately 4.8 million sockeyes would show
up but just 628,000 salmon have come home to the once iconic salmon river.
This is in stark contrast to the stories from people who have lived on
our coast for decades. They described the rivers, creeks and streams on the
south coast as teeming with fish. So thick, that the salmon could barely even
swim. So thick, you could walk across their backs.
Federal officials point to climate change as the main culprit.
Climate change is dramatically changing our oceans. Warming waters and
marine heat waves are having a disastrous effect on the entire food web that
support salmon on their epic migration from British Columbia out to the Pacific
Ocean and back.
Off the hook
While federal and global issues are challenging salmon, British Columbia
cannot escape the impact of provincial decision-making on the well-being of
these critical species. As the federal officials point out, fresh water ecosystems
are also feeling the brunt of climate change, specifically from extensive
deforestation.
We cannot continue to destroy watersheds by over-logging and expect the
outcomes for salmon to improve. However, it does not do anybody any good for
the various levels of government to be pointing fingers at each other.
Rather than leaning into the jurisdictional quagmire that has created a
"can't do" culture in Canada, we (the politicians and bureaucrats)
have a responsibility to come together to find ways to empower communities and
citizens.
Since my election two years ago I have been demanding that the
government forge a new relationship with salmon and forests, the creatures and
ecosystems that define our province.
Perhaps this summer's salmon returns will be the sobering moment that
our government awakens with a new level of courage in which they seize
their opportunity to boldly lead our province through this era of unparalleled
change.
Adam Olsen ... is
a Green Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
for Saanich North and the Islands.
Born in Victoria, BC in 1976, Adam
has lived, worked and played his entire life on the Saanich Peninsula.
He is a member of Tsartlip First Nation (W̱JOȽEȽP), where he and his wife, Emily, are raising their two children, Silas and Ella.
Comments
Post a Comment