rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/help-save-the-gulf-islands-2?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-help-save-the-gulf-islands-2' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Friends of the Gulf Islands Society https://actionnetwork.org/groups/httpsactionnetworkorgfriends-of-the-gulf-islands-2sourcedirect_link https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/298/751/normal/collage.png The Gulf Islands, one of British Columbia’s natural wonders, are in crisis due to over-development, deforestation, freshwater depletion, pollution, foreshore degradation and climate change. Hope that the islands will survive as a rural area, distinct from the urban centres that surround them, is fading fast as people-pressure mounts and the health of both land and marine ecosystems deteriorates. The Islands Trust, the unique local government created by the BC legislature in 1974 to stop unrestrained development and protect the islands for ALL British Columbians, continues to approve more development despite widespread water shortages, repeated warnings of unsustainability, and a large number of yet-to-be-developed lots throughout the archipelago. Trust Council, the political branch of the Islands Trust, is currently amending its Policy Statement, the document that is supposed to protect the islands into the future. Unfortunately, the new draft document is full of contradictions, conflicting objectives, and escape clauses. Most notably, it no longer makes environmental protection a top priority; social, economic and environmental goals are on an equal footing, just like in any unprotected area. Please support our vision for the Gulf Islands by signing the petition. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/help-save-the-gulf-islands-2