3 July 2020

To The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Email: ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca    Telephone: 819-938-3813

Dear Minister Wilkinson:

I am writing on behalf of the Victoria Natural History Society, a community organization that has supported those with an interest in the natural history of our region since 1944 and with approximately 750 members. We encourage you to use your authority to protect the environment in British Columbia. Federal decisions that are made for short-term financial gain often cause serious permanent damage to the environment and ultimately long-term loss to our economy. A few examples of such decisions that have occurred recently include the latest tar sands mine approval, the TMX pipeline project, the continued west coast herring fishery, the Site C dam, and the LNG plant in Kitimat.

The most recent environmental harm that you can help prevent comes in the form of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project in the Fraser River Delta. This internationally-recognized Important Bird Area is essential for Western Sandpipers and many other shorebirds. It provides a critical staging area that allows the birds to complete their long distance migration. The fatty food in the bio-film of the mudflats delivers the energy they need for their journey.

There are other significant issues associated with the destruction of the mudflats for this project. For example, it will further diminish the development of young salmon populations in the Fraser River system, which will have impacts on the iconic Southern Resident Killer Whales. These whales are in serious decline, and protecting this federally-endangered population falls under your jurisdiction.

Minister Wilkinson: We challenge you to demonstrate leadership on environmental issues that affect our future so drastically. The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project is an example of just such a decision. It should not go ahead.

Sincerely,

Philip Lambert

President

Victoria Natural History Society

president@vicnhs.bc.ca