Petition Presented Calling for Burns Bog to Become a UNESCO World Heritage Site (video)

OTTAWA- A petition from hundreds of residents calling for Burns Bog to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site was presented in the House of Commons today by Sukh Dhaliwal, Member of Parliament for Newton-North Delta.”This recognition of Burns Bog’s status as a cultural and environmental landmark would go a long way to preserving the bog for generations to come. It is high time that it become a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” Dhaliwal said. “I congratulate the Burns Bog Conservation Society and other leaders in our community for their excellent work towards achieving this goal. I hope the government will listen to their message.”

Burns Bog is the largest domed peat bog on the west coast of North America. It is globally unique on the basis of its chemistry, form, flora and large size. It is a precious natural resource that helps reduce the impact of climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases, filtering large amounts of rain and providing habitat for rare and endangered species.

The UNESCO World Heritage List recognizes that some places of outstanding universal value are the responsibility of the international community and serves as a catalyst to raising awareness for heritage preservation. World Heritage sites can be publically listed as sites in danger.

In the last federal election, the Liberal Party promised to nominate Burns Bog as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The NDP and Conservatives were silent about the future of the Bog. The Conservatives have refused to identify it as a candidate for Canada’s next submission of the Tentative List to UNESCO. The current list was updated in 2004 with an intended lifespan of a decade.

“Since 2006, we have been waiting for some leadership from this government on the status of Burns Bog,” Dhaliwal added. “As Michael Ignatieff said in his speech on the environment at Laval last week, we need a government that looks forward, not backward. A Liberal government would establish the bog as a Heritage Site to protect our community’s future.”

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For more information, please contact
604-506-0735
DhaliS1B@parl.gc.ca