Citizen groups will come together in Qualicum Beach on Saturday (July 3) for the second annual March For Our Future.
The march, a volunteer-driven event meant to “create a safe space for citizens to support the environment and voice their concerns”, will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Qualicum Beach town hall.
Members of the Qualicum Nature Preservation Society are among those helping to organize the event. A release for the event said they believe that “the community’s displeasure with the council’s environmental record is palpable, citing numerous residential developments with ecological concerns and the lack of a tree and vegetation bylaw.”
READ MORE: Vancouver Island residents rally to protect old-growth forests
“It’s long past time that the QB council had a free and open debate about the town’s old growth and urban forest canopy,” said Graham Riches, a resident planning to attend the march.
The march comes four days before the second public hearing on the estate residential development. The release said the estate residential forest “contains an extremely rare old-growth Coastal Douglas fir ecosystem, of which, less than one per cent remain. Coastal Douglas fir ecosystems are the most biodiverse, most endangered and least protected in the province of British Columbia.”
Citizens are encouraged to bring masks and signs to the event. Organizers are lining up expert speakers to address issues such as old-growth, climate change and water sustainability.
— NEWS Staff, submitted