Mr. Speaker, Burns Bog is 10,000 acres of unique wetland in the heart of Vancouver's Delta. This 5,000 year old living laboratory is probably the most environmentally contentious area in the province.
Protecting this site is important to Canadians, yet the land is under constant urban development. With global warming we need to protect every bit of stored carbon. While peatlands, such as Burns Bog, cover half the area of tropical rain forests, they are capable of storing three and a half times more carbon.
Burns Bog is also crucial to the Fraser River. The bog acts as a filter for freshwater flowing to the mouth of the largest salmon-bearing waterway in the world.
The Minister of the Environment must do more than pay lip service to the Ramsar convention on the protection of wetlands.
I urge the environment minister to, at the least, visit the site, talk to the concerned citizens and appreciate firsthand how important it is. With the minister's support, stakeholders, like the Burns Bog Conservation Society, can successfully negotiate an end to this looming environmental tragedy.