Written by Christianne Wilhelmson

The threats that faced this region years ago are in some ways the threats we face today, except they are now being amplified by climate change, which makes the climate crisis the biggest threat we face. From flooding to wildfires to ocean acidification, all the other pressures on these waters are being made all the worse because of the impacts of changes to our climate.  These pressures include habitat degradation through pollution of waterways and destruction of shoreline (marine and freshwater) habitat remain threats to the Salish Sea. The sources of those threats have changed however.  In the 1990s, we talked about pulp pollution and sewage discharge (from municipalities as well as from smaller sources such as recreational boats) as a key threats, while today it's oil spills and stormwater run-off that have our attention, as well as the impact that ships are increasingly having on the health of the region (air pollution, discharges to water, as well as increasing awareness of the products that ships carry such as dilbit). All of this is of course exacerbated by a growing population which is putting more and more pressure on our resources. We have tackled some threats but they have been replaced by others, which highlights that we don't yet have a comprehensive way to protect this region in a systematic way.

The cultural issues that arise in this region that impact our ability and effectiveness to protect these waters fall into 2 buckets - Indigenous history and reconciliation, and the lack of engagement of diverse communities.  The former is the growing integration in our thinking and the recognition in BC that the lands surrounding the Strait of Georgia are stolen lands, some lands taken through unhonoured treaties, while others were simply stolen (most land in BC is unceded, simply taken without any attempt at signing treaties). We are only starting to address this history and the impacts it had on Indigenous communities, and our governments and communities have a long way to go.  First Nations must be recognized as nations, and play a leadership role as the ongoing stewards of these waters. The further integration of UNDRIP into law and policy is a step forward in that regard.  The second bucket is that those who see themselves as protectors and advocates of these waters are generally white and we have not addressed the fact that we are not being inclusive of the various communities in our region who need to be at the table to truly address the threats the Salish Sea faces. Diversity and equity, and addressing issues of white supremacy in the dominant culture, have to be faced in order to ensure our region can be protected for the benefit of all.

We have to understand our interconnectedness to this region. to the land and to the water, on both sides of the border.  One of the challenges on the Canadian side is that we are not facing an acute threat to the region, it's chronic, so a death by a thousand cuts which is very hard to see. Every day these waters that support us - socially, economically, culturally and spiritually - yet so many still don't realize how their actions threaten the very thing they love.  So, efforts to make that connection, in particular through the fate of the southern resident killer whale, is one way to help make that connection so that people are willing to change to protect what they love.